2022 Volkswagen ID.5 orders open in Europe

Volkswagen's third dedicated electric vehicle has gone on sale in the United Kingdom, with order books opening for the ID.5.

Based on the same MEB platform as the ID.3 and ID.4, the SUV carries across a majority of the components from its ID.4 sibling but with revised styling, opting for a coupe-like sweeping rear portion as opposed to the more conventional, straight back end.

The entry-level, 128kW rear-wheel drive ID.5 Tech Pro variant starts at £50,550 (AU$96,170), jumping up to £51,940 (AU$98,820) in 150kW Tech Pro Performance guise.

3

Higher-equipped variants such as the Max Pro go on sale from £54,050 (AU$102,830) and incur an identical premium when jumping to its Performance trim, bumping its price up to £55,440 (AU$105,480) for the same power upgrade as the Tech Pro.

Moving up to the range-topping GTX Max gives buyers an extra electric motor on the front axle for all-wheel drive, increasing its power output to 220kW for a list price of £58,640 (AU$111,565).

All ID.5 variants are fitted with a 77kWh lithium-ion battery pack, as the non-GTX grades eek out a driving range of 504km on a full charge while the flagship GTX is reduced to 476km.

3

As with the rest of Volkswagen's electric vehicles, the ID.5 is produced at the manufacturer's Zwickau plant in Germany – home to production of the ID.3, ID.4, Audi Q4 E-Tron and Cupra Born.

The Zwickau facility used to be one of Volkswagen's biggest bases, having produced over nine and a half million internal combustion engine vehicles before its last example rolled off the production line in June 2020.

Following an investment of over €1.2 billion (AU$1.9bn) in modernising the plant since 2018, the Volkswagen Group aims for Zwickau to exceed the 180,000 vehicles produced last year, contributing to its million-plus MEB fully-electric vehicles set to go on sale in 2022.