Volkswagen’s new US-made ID.4 starts at $37,495 with small battery

Enlarge / An ID.4 crosses a bridge in Chattanooga. Local production of the electric crossover has enabled a cheaper version with a smaller battery. (credit: Volkswagen)

Last year, Ars visited Volkswagen's factory in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where the company was preparing to begin local production of its ID.4 electric crossover. That factory is now up to speed, and VW is making good on its promise to make a cheaper ID.4, made possible by a smaller battery pack.

It's a tried-and-true approach by automakers, as the higher margins on better-equipped models help offset the high costs of putting a new model into production.

The new model is called the ID.4 Standard, and it keeps the same 201-hp (150-kW) electric motor driving the rear wheels as the ID.4 Pro or the ID.4 First Edition we tested in April 2021. But instead of that car's 82 kWh pack, the ID.4 Standard makes do with a 62 kWh pack (gross capacity—unfortunately, VW hasn't shared net capacity).