Volkswagen ID.7 Launch Delayed in Canada, U.S.
One of the two new electric vehicles that Volkswagen was planning to launch in North America this year will arrive later than expected.
The ID.7 midsize sedan, which was featured at the Montreal Electric Vehicle Show last month, has been delayed for an unspecified amount of time. It was initially slated to go on sale this summer.
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“Volkswagen is committed to making market-driven choices while listening to our customers,” the company wrote in a brief statement on Wednesday. “As market dynamics continue to change, Volkswagen is delaying the introduction of the ID.7 sedan in the U.S. and Canada.”
Similar in size to the late Passat, the ID.7 hit the market in Europe last year and has enjoyed a fair amount of success, especially since the introduction of the ID.7 Tourer wagon. On our side of the Atlantic, however, conventional passenger cars keep losing customers, while demand for electric vehicles has slowed down quite a bit.
In the midsize segment in particular, Subaru and Chevrolet have recently announced they will axe the Legacy and Malibu, respectively. The Kia K5 also won’t return to Canada for 2025. And the fate of both the Nissan Altima and Hyundai Sonata already appears to be sealed.
On the EV side, the Hyundai IONIQ 6 and Polestar 2 have seen their sales drop from Q4 2023 to Q1 2024. In the case of the former, we’re talking about a nearly 50-percent plunge in Canada.
The ID.7 is the first MEB-based model from Volkswagen with a completely new, highly efficient drive unit. Rated at 282 horsepower and 402 lb-ft of torque, the motor drives the rear axle. The battery planned for North America has a usable capacity of 77 kWh, but its actual range is unknown at this point.
Volkswagen said it remains committed to electric mobility, pointing to the upgraded 2024 ID.4 crossover and the launch of the 2025 ID. Buzz minivan which is still on track for this fall. Pricing details have yet to be announced.