Volkswagen Commences All-Electric ID.4 Flagship Production In America

Making it the company’s first EV assembled in the United States, Volkswagen of America (VWoA) commences production of its all-electric ID.4 compact SUV in Chattanooga, Tennessee. 

The aim is to scale up the ID.4 assembly in said factory to 7,000 vehicles per month later this year, with the goal to further increase output through 2023.

Customers can expect deliveries as early as October 2022, and the first American-assembled ID.4s will be available in either rear-wheel- or all-wheel-drive 82-kWh battery form.

On top of that, a rear-wheel-drive version with a 62-kWh battery will also go into production later in 2022, with a lower price tag.

Volkswagen’s global brand chairman, Thomas Schäfer, said, “When we promised to bring Volkswagen EVs to the millions, it always included American workers building those EVs right there in Chattanooga. We couldn’t be prouder to see that vision realized with our ID.4 electric flagship rolling off the lines. This is another milestone in Volkswagen’s ambitious electrification strategy for the U.S. market and globally.”

This move roots from VW’s USD 800 million (RM 3,568,000,000) investment into the electrification of its Chattanooga factory that includes dedicated facilities for vehicle and battery pack assemblies. 

All of the American-assembled ID.4 electric SUV flagship will be mainly sourced in the North American region, which includes materials and components assembled in 11 of the states. 

E.g., steel in Alabama and Ohio, interior parts in Indiana and South Carolina and electronics in Kentucky and North Carolina. The EV battery will be supplied by SK Innovation in Georgia.

As part of the preparation to launch the ID.4, suppliers have invested USD 2.7 billion (RM 12,044,700,000) to all the mentioned parties, including the battery partnership with SK Innovation.

Overall, the factory in Tennessee is now the sixth global site to produce vehicles for Volkswagen’s electric line-up.