Volkswagen will launch its electric Passat equivalent in 2023, and sources recently caught the production version of the wagon near the German city of Kiel.
The range of the model, which comes both as a sedan and station wagon, should be around 400 miles. The model is expected to correspond to the current Passat size but offer the same interior spaces as its now-defunct big brother, Phaeton. While the latter has been spied on on various occasions, these shots of the ID.7 wagon are the first to show the more practical family variant.
The ID.7 is based on the VW Group's electric car platform MEB, also used for hatchback ID.3, ID.4 and ID.5 SUVs. Production will start later this year.
The new model will be offered with rear-wheel drive as standard, but there will also be a four-wheel-drive GTX performance model, which can handle 0–60 in 5.6 seconds. With rear-wheel drive, that figure is 8.5 seconds.
The range with the largest battery package, 84 kWh, will be about 425 miles. In comparison, the platform sibling ID.3 has a maximum of 77 kWh and a WLTP range of 340 miles.
The higher capacity is said to be made possible by a slightly longer wheelbase, which means that the battery pack in the floor can be slightly larger. The increased range is also due to more "efficient" battery cells and reduced rolling and air resistance. In addition, a 200 kW fast charge should also be possible, which means that 140 miles of charging should take only 10 minutes.