Volkswagen EV ID.4 comes to Korea

Sacha Askidjian, executive director of Volkswagen Korea, speaks at a press conference Thursday. [VOLKSWAGEN KOREA]

Volkswagen introduced the ID.4, its first pure electric sports utility vehicle (SUV), to the Korean market on Thursday, vowing to offer more electric options in the country.

The automaker has already received 3,500 orders for the ID.4, and deliveries will start on Sept. 19. The company expects to deliver around 1,200 to 1,300 vehicles by the end of this year, with Volkswagen saying that it tried to acquire as many vehicles as possible amid the ongoing global chip shortage.

The ID.4 is equipped with a 82 kilowatt battery that can charge in 36 minutes, traveling 405 kilometers (252 miles) per charge. It generates a maximum 204 horsepower and 31.6 kilogram-meters of torque.

The sticker price is 54.9 million won ($39,300) and is given a government subsidy of 6.5 million won.

Dr. Silke Bagschik, head of Volkswagen AG’s E-mobility product lineup, said Korea is the fastest growing and pioneering electric vehicle (EV) country, which is why it was the first non-European country in which the vehicle was made available.

Volkswagen has been criticized for being more diesel and gasoline car-centered in Korea compared to other countries, and the company plans to gradually introduce more EV options in Korea. It currently offers its other EV, the ID.3, only in European countries.

The automaker says the ID.4 has a more spacious interior compared other SUVs, with a wheelbase of 2,765 millimeters (109 inches). The trunk capacity is 543 liters (143 gallons) and expands up to 1,575 liters when the second row of seats are folded down.

Volkswagen will partner with Chaevi, a local EV charging station service provider, to provide benefits for its customers when using the company’s charging stations.

BY LEE TAE-HEE [lee.taehee2@joongang.co.kr]