Volkswagen has repurposed its GTX badge over the last couple of years to denote GTI cars of the electric generation, and to no one’s surprise the new ID.7 sedan is in line for some of that go-faster treatment.
Having finally delivered a rival for the Tesla Model 3 in the form of the ID.7 unveiled earlier this year, VW has confirmed that it will be taking the wraps off a GTX version of the sedan that could rival the Model 3 Performance at this September’s IAA Mobility in Germany. That’s the Munich Motor Show to you and me.
Official details are light right now, VW saying only that it will be all-wheel drive and feature software developed in-house at Wolfsburg that will manage the powertrain, braking, steering and chassis, tweaking the characteristics of each according to which driving mode is selected.
VW also says the interior and exterior design will riff heavily on the GTX sub brand’s trademark red and black coloring, bringing back gloss exterior trim, a black roof and blacked-out windows to the exterior and contrasting them with red stitching on the seats, dash panel and doors.
First Look: The VW ID.7 Is An Electric Passat For A New Generation
Rumored, but not confirmed in VW’s announcement, is the combination of a 107 hp (110 PS) electric motor in the nose lifted from the front of the ID.4 GTX with the 282 hp (286 PS) rear motor already fitted to the regular ID.7 sedan. Autocar reports that the marriage of the two will give the hottest ID.7 around 390 hp (395 PS), which should be enough to drop the zero to 60 mph (97 kmh) time comfortably below 5 seconds, though it’s unlikely to trouble the Model 3 Performance, which can do the job in a little over three.
There’s no word on battery size, but regular ID.7s will be available this fall in Europe and China with 77 kWh and 86 kWh power packs giving 382 miles (615 km) and 435 miles (700 km) of driving range. The U.S. cars that go on sale the following year, however, will only be available with the smaller battery, and while the ID.7’s 170 kW charge rate is better than the 135 kW offered by the ID.4, it’s miles off the 350 kW you can stuff into a Hyundai Ioniq 5 or Kia EV6.
So far VW has only released some teaser close-ups of the GTX details, but imagine the regular ID.7 pictured in the gallery below with an extra helping of attitude and plenty of black and red trim and you’ll not be far off.
