Volkswagen ID.X Performance electric-car concept targets Tesla Model 3 Performance
09/11/2023 07:54 PM
Volkswagen has previewed plans for a high-performance electric sedan to rival Tesla, with parts borrowed race-track-ready Porsche sports cars. But don’t expect the production version to be as extreme.
The Volkswagen ID.X Performance electric-car concept has been revealed, as a preview of what a rival for the Tesla Model 3 Performance could look like from the world’s second-largest car maker.
The ID.X Performance is based on the new ID.7 electric sedan – which isn’t planned for sale in Australia – and adopts race-car-esque aerodynamics and significantly more powerful electric motors.
There will be a high-performance GTX version of the new ID.7 for Europe, Volkswagen has previously confirmed.
However it is expected to offer only mild visual enhancements – and a dual-motor power output of about 290kW – rather than the extreme looks and 411kW of the concept car.
Volkswagen has quietly borrowed from the Porsche parts bin to create this concept car, with the 20-inch centre-locking wheels from the front of a Porsche 911 GT3 sports car – wrapped in slightly-wider 265-profile tyres (compared to the GT3’s 255-section rubber).
The carbon-fibre bucket seats are also of Porsche’s design – though Volkswagen has carefully elected not to show any photos of them, other than a glimpse through the rear window of the car in the exterior images.
Exterior upgrades over the standard ID.7 include more aggressive front and rear bumpers, carbon-fibre for the front splitter, rear diffuser and rear spoiler, and tinted tail-light clusters.
Covering the wider wheels and tyres are black wheel-arch flares, while Volkswagen says the suspension gains stiffer springs, a 60mm lower ride height, and that “the engineers have increased the toe by 80 millimetres”.
Inside, the Porsche bucket seats are joined by red accents across the seats, centre console and dashboard.
The ID.X Performance concept is powered by dual electric motors developing 411kW with a “boost function”, powering all four wheels. A 0-100km/h acceleration time is not quoted.
It compares to the single 210kW rear electric motor in the regular ID.7 – good for 0-100km/h in a claimed 6.5 seconds – and the 220kW/460Nm of current dual-motor Volkswagen GTX performance electric cars.
While yet to be confirmed, reports suggest the showroom ID.7 GTX will combine the 210kW rear motor with an 80kW front electric motor from the ID.4 and ID.5 GTX, for 290kW combined.
A Tesla Model 3 Performance – when it was available – quoted 393kW, for a claimed 0-100km/h time of 3.3 seconds.
Volkswagen says the ID.X Performance offers 200kW DC fast charging capabilities.
The Volkswagen ID.X Performance concept – which borrows its name from the ID.X concept shown in 2022, which was a high-performance version of the smaller VW ID.3 electric hatch – made its public debut over the weekend at a Volkswagen ID owners’ event.
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