Volkswagen recently unveiled the ID.X Performance show car, an all-electric “sports limousine” (similar to a sports sedan) in the upper mid-sized segment, at the ID. Treffen event in Locarno, Switzerland. Impressively equipped with powerful all-wheel drive, performance-oriented suspension, and a striking appearance, it’s a pretty neat EV, but it doesn’t appear that VW is going to sell any. However, it’s possible to build one if you know the right parts.
“Presenting the ID.X Performance in front of ID. enthusiasts from across Europe gives us the chance to meet members of the ID. Drivers Club in person,” Maria Soni Reissfelder, Head of Marketing & Sales Volkswagen ID. Family. “Andreas Reckewerth and his team of engineers have maximized the potential of the MEB in this vehicle, combining sporty performance with the elegant lines of a limousine. In addition to our emotive show car, we will also showcase a range of production models such as the ID.7, for which pre-sales started in Germany just a few days ago.”
Sporty With Looks To Match
The ID.X Performance showcases its athleticism with a dynamic appearance. The all-electric luxury sedan features sporty elements like carbon front splitter and rear diffuser. The engineers have raised the toe by 80mm and lowered the sports suspension by 60mm, enhancing performance and agility. These modifications, along with the drive unit, contribute significantly to the vehicle’s handling.
The vehicle features 20-inch sports alloy wheels with central lock and size 265 racing tires. A carbon wing at the rear ensures necessary downforce, while tinted tail light clusters enhance the sporty appearance. Inside, carbon bucket seats provide optimum support even during dynamic driving. Red accents highlight the sporty characteristics of the interior.
Image provided by VW.
Volkswagen has enhanced the ID.X Performance show car by adding an additional asynchronous motor on the front axle. This complements the permanently excited synchronous motor on the rear axle, resulting in a powerful all-wheel drive system. The drive type offers advantages such as short-time overload capability and minimal drag losses. It is an ideal motor configuration for delivering short-term power through a boost function. The Vehicle Dynamics Manager controls the drive torque and manages the operation of the rear axle differential lock in the ID.X Performance. This advanced function is conveniently controlled through a separate display with a 17-centimeter screen diagonal located in the center console.
The dual-motor drive is powered by the drive battery, allowing for high continuous power output and fast charging times of up to 200 kW.
Electric vehicle enthusiasts and press gathered on the Swiss side of Lago Maggiore to discuss their shared passion and participate in group outings. The meet, organized by ID. customers who are also members of the ID. Drivers Club, will set a new attendance record in 2023, with over 130 vehicles. The Volkswagen brand team will be present with experts, providing insights into current developments in electric mobility. In addition to the ID.X Performance, Volkswagen will showcase other models from the ID. family in Locarno. Last year, Volkswagen captivated electric vehicle fans with the ID. XTREME and ID. Xcite show cars.
Image provided by VW.
Will Volkswagen Sell One? No. But, It’s Not Impossible To Get One
A spicy ID.7. Basically VW went through the group’s parts bin and slapped on Porsche bucket seats, upgraded motors, carbon ceramic brakes, Audi aero and so much more.
They won’t build it but you could! pic.twitter.com/4f4IZazKTg
— Kyle Conner (@itskyleconner) September 9, 2023
According to one press attendee, Volkswagen doesn’t plan to sell these at or through Volkswagen dealers. It’s a real shame, because it’s a nice looking high performance EV. Normal ID.7 buyers are probably more concerned with luxury than sport, but it shows that with just a few different parts, a completely different character can be put on the same chassis.
Some of it is custom-built for the vehicle, but many of the parts came from elsewhere in the VW group’s catalog of parts. So, if you were to get a good enough look at it (which should become increasingly easy as more YouTube videos of it pop up), you could theoretically go to the VW parts counter and order most of it in. The only big holdup will be the power electronics and custom sport programming. But, if you started with a faster variant of the ID.7, you probably wouldn’t be far off. The truly important things, like better suspension and brakes, is something shops do to cars all the time, and many people do in their own garage.
What’s Important Here
Whether or not you can get one, the important thing is that Volkswagen showed that its EVs can be customizable, upgradable, and cool.
Unless you’re a huge VW EV nerd, you probably wouldn’t want to clone VW’s ID.7 anyway. Instead, if you were going to all the work and trouble, you could fit performance parts of your own, come up with your own take on the ID.7, and make a custom sports EV. As the aftermarket starts to figure out that it’s not only possible, but desirable to do this (it’s already a big thing with Teslas), the bolt-on experience won’t require sleuthing skills and passing Benjamins to people at VW and Porsche dealerships.
In other words, this shows the aftermarket some things that they can do, and then run away with.
I know the “EVs are perfect from the factory” crowd who use their EV as a transportation appliance won’t appreciate this, and might not even believe that it’s possible to upgrade and improve EVs. After all, the days of adjusting a carb on the side of the road with a screwdriver are pretty far behind us unless you’re an enthusiast and keep a classic car up, right? But, the truth is that automotive modding and customization never went away, and likely never will.
So, it doesn’t really matter that Volkswagen isn’t going to offer this vehicle as shown to dealers to sell to us. The whole point of showing this off at an enthusiast gathering was to show what the ID.7 and other VW EVs could be with some work. Not everyone is going to want a more wild car like the ID.X, but the people who do are going to love building their own take on the vehicle. That alone is pretty exciting, isn’t it?
Images provided by VW.
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