Volkswagen is introducing its first electric vehicles (EVs) in Australia during 2024, and it's also using these launches to roll out new tools aimed at helping buyers. The ID.4and ID.5 electric SUVs will go on pre-sale in the first quarter of 2024 ahead of a launch in June or July. The company has yet to announce pricing for our market. Buyers will be able to specify these vehicles through an online configurator that will also include finance, servicing plans and accessory options – handy, but not something that is "going to set the world on fire", according to the company. Where Volkswagen will differ its buying process from the competition is through an augmented reality experience, which will allow buyers to use their phone to project a full-scale charge box onto a wall. The customer can then move this around to find a suitable location, with the box glowing red if there are any proximity issues. Volkswagen has teased it will also offer public charger benefits, exclusive rates on home energy plans, and incentives for solar installations on top of any existing state-based incentives. "We are in the final negotiations for some strong Australian brands to accompany us on the way of this journey," said Ralph Beckmann, general manager for marketing and product at Volkswagen Australia. Once they've ordered a vehicle, customers will be able to track it as it's shipped to Australia. While this is being rolled out to coincide with pre-orders opening for the ID.4 and ID.5, this will be available for all of Volkswagen's passenger and commercial vehicles bar the Tiguan Allspace. This SUV is shipped from Mexico by Wallenius, and Volkswagen is working on a similar integration with this firm. The ID.4 and ID.5 will be the first in a series of EV launches in Australia, with the ID. Buzz and ID. Buzz Cargo following in the fourth quarter of 2024 and the ID.2 and ID.3 following at some point after that. Recently revealed in updated guise, the ID.4 and ID.5 will be offered in single-motor rear-wheel drive Pro and dual-motor all-wheel drive GTX variants, all with a 77kWh battery. Pro models produce 210kW of power and 545Nm of torque and boast 550km (ID.4) or 556km (ID.5) of WLTP range, while GTX models produce 250kW. DC charging capacity is 135kW in Pro models and 175kW in GTX models. All models feature new charging and thermal management to ensure the battery is pre-conditioned ahead of a DC charging stop. Inside, the updated model's touch sliders for the air-conditioning and volume controls are now illuminated, while there's a multi-function steering wheel with "new operating logic". The touchscreen is now a larger 12.9-inch unit with a "completely new" menu structure and a new voice assistant with natural voice commands and cloud-based information. Available equipment includes an augmented reality head-up display and a 10-speaker Harman Kardon 480W sound system. All models have a standard digital instrument cluster. MORE: Everything Volkswagen ID.4 MORE: Everything Volkswagen ID.5 Content originally sourced from: CarExpert.com.au
