New VW ID.4 due in 2026, a year after the current model arrives in Australia
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Volkswagen’s mid-size electric SUV is due to be overhauled in Europe – alongside its small ID.3 hatch – not long after the current version arrives in Australia.
New generations of the Volkswagen ID.4 and ID.3 electric cars are due in 2026 – with redesigned bodywork and new technology – a company executive has reportedly confirmed.
It means the current ID.4 SUV – sold in Europe since 2021 but still months away from Australian showrooms – will become outdated soon after its local arrival, due in early 2025.
The current ID.3 hatch is not sold locally – placed on the back-burner due to sliding demand for small cars – so it is possible Volkswagen Australia may wait for the next model.
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Volkswagen development boss Kai Grünitz told UK media at the recent Los Angeles motor show the ID.3 and ID.4 will each receive a “reskin” in 2026.
Reskin is car-industry speak for a new model that wears mostly or entirely new bodywork, but sits on existing underpinnings – in this case the VW Group’s MEB architecture – to save cost.
“We will bring a re-skin for the ID.4 and ID.3, with a completely new design language going back to where we originally came from, from a design perspective, and return to what Volkswagen is known for,” Grünitz said, as quoted by Auto Express.
VW’s new design language has been previewed by the ID.2all concept, which is due in production ID.2 form in late 2025 or early 2026, with a more conventional shape and simpler design features than the more futuristic ID range of today.
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Upgrades to the ID.3 and ID.4 – the first two Volkswagen ID electric models to launch – will also extend to technology and their power systems.
“We also have a lot of improvements in terms of battery costs and performance, we will also bring new features and driver assistance functions,” said Grünitz.
“So there will be a huge improvement, both in terms of the cost for us, but also benefit for the customers.”
Auto Express reports changes will include a “reinvention” of the interior, with the reintroduction of physical buttons on the dashboard and centre console, as previewed by the ID.2all concept.
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The ID.4 coming to Australia is already an upgrade of the original launched in Europe in 2021, with updated technology, more powerful electric motors, and longer driving range ratings from enlarged battery packs.
The MEB platform will reportedly be “improved” but retain its general technical layout, with rear-wheel drive as standard, and multi-link independent rear suspension for better road-holding.
It was previously expected the successors of the ID.3 and ID.4 would use the Volkswagen Group’s next-generation SSP electric-car platform, which was initially earmarked for a 2026 debut.
However, reports have since indicated these models – including a new ‘ID. Golf’ electric small car to succeed the ID.3 – have been pushed back close to, or beyond the end of this decade.
The SSP architecture is now reportedly planned to debut in 2027, with influence from US electric-car start-up Rivian as part of a joint venture deal on vehicle software between the brands.
Volkswagen will continue investing in the MEB platform for future models, while a smaller counterpart – MEB Entry – is being developed for the ID.2, as well as Cupra and Skoda variants, and an ID.2 SUV.
Autocar reports the ID.2 SUV will be shown as a concept at the Munich motor show in September next year, while an ID.2 GTI is planned for 2026, Grünitz said.
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