Kia EV6 rivaling Volkswagen ID.4 electric car to start testing in India
Volkswagen AG has confirmed to initiate testing of its internationally available electric car, ID.4, in India later this year. The new model has already made its official debut in the global market and is now also headed for India. It will be made available in the country in limited numbers, as per a Bloomberg report.
The German carmaker will initiate the testing of ID.4 for the country around September for any required adaptations as per the local weather conditions, Ashish Gupta, brand director at Volkswagen’s passenger cars division in India, said in an interview recently. Following the local testing, a limited number of cars will be imported into the country under the import rule which allows automakers to bring in up to 2,500 cars without the local homologation. Gupta also said that Volkswagen will also bring its global electric portfolio into the country within that limit to test the market.
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While Gupta didn't reveal how many units of the ID.4 model will be imported into India, he did mention that it would like to make use of all the 2,500 units, however, the availability of vehicles is a concern worldwide as a direct result of the worsening chip shortage and other supply chain constraints.
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The company is gearing up to commence the local assembly of its electric vehicles in India within the next 5 years. Meanwhile, the brand is also keeping its options open to manufacturing its own batteries in the country. This move will allow the automobile manufacturer to remain independent for its battery requirement.
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The upcoming VW ID.4 will be launched as a direct rival to the Kia EV6 crossover which was recently introduced in India. Apart from that, it will also face heat from other battery-powered cars such as Volvo XC40 Recharge, Audi e-tron, Mercedes-Benz EQC, and Jaguar I-Pace.
The company is yet to confirm the exact timeline of the model's launch in India.
Note: The story has been updated as per the latest input from official sources. Inputs also taken from Bloomberg.
