Volkswagen has spent decades developing a reputation for being a bit more premium than many mainstream cars. Still, the brand is absolutely a mainstream brand. Despite that, the company has a weird history of trying to sell luxury and near-luxury cars with its proletarian badging. We saw this most recently with the upscale Arteon liftback sedan, but the original Touareg was quite plush. Then there was the ill-fated Phaeton flagship sedan. Now VW’s Chinese division is taking a stab at luxury with the ID. Era 9X and betting Chinese customers will be more interested in the idea of a luxury VW.
Volkswagen ID. Era 9X from the front three-quarter angleVolkswagen
This Is A Literally Big SUV
The ID. Era 9X is defiitely a flagship SUV, and it makes that known right from the start with its size. At 205 inches, it’s about half a foot longer than either America’s biggest VW SUV, the Atlas, and Audi’s three-row SUV, the Q7. The wheelbase is about 3 inches longer than either, too. Even height-wise, the ID. Era 9X is about 3 inches taller than the Audi, and it has an inch on the Atlas.
Volkswagen ID. Era 9X from the rear three-quarter angleVolkswagen
VW and its partner SAIC didn’t do a huge amount with all that sheetmetal, though. The body has very little in the way of creases and lines. The boxy profile is softened with curved corners. Complementing the smooth, gentle shape are the flush-mounted door handles and lack of grilles.
Volkswagen ID. Era 9X from the frontVolkswagen
Despite the huge size, passenger capacity is relatively limited in the ID. Era 9X. It seems to only be available with six-passenger seating, which supports the idea of this as a premium SUV more concerned about the quality of the cabin, rather than the quantity of passengers. The one photo VW has of the interior also shows an enormous rear passenger screen that’s available, and it seems to fold down from the ceiling. We can also make out a wall of screens on the dash, too.
Volkswagen ID. Era 9X interior photo showing the seats.Volkswagen
It’s A Plug-in Hybrid With An Equally Big Battery
Powering the ID. Era 9X is a plug-in hybrid system. It features a Volkswagen EA211 turbocharged engine and a 65.2-kWh battery pack from CATL. According to Motor1, the combined output from the four-cylinder and the electric motors is 295 horsepower with the rear-drive layout and 510 with the all-wheel-drive layout.
Volkswagen ID. Era 9X from the sideVolkswagen
Volkswagen estimates range at 249 miles on just the battery, but that’s on the CLTC test cycle, which tends to result in much higher ranges than the EPA test. As a point of comparison, a Kia EV9 with a 76.1-kWh of capacity has an EPA range of just 230 miles.
Related
Why The Volkswagen ID.Buzz Is Taking A One-Year Break
The VW ID.Buzz Minivan is one of the most striking EVs on the market, but no 2026 versions will be made.
Don’t Count On It For America
While SUVs remain extremely popular in the US (and seemingly every car market), we don’t expect the ID. Era 9X to come here. It’s clearly designed specifically for the Chinese market with VW’s Chinese partner SAIC. We’re also betting it will be built in China. That alone would make it a non-starter for the US with current tariffs on Chinese vehicles. Even without tariff issues, VW really doesn’t need to be competing with its own luxury brands like Audi in America anymore. We’ve seen the results.
Related
Volkswagen Wants To Be More Premium And Sell More Hybrids
EV adoption didn’t happen as quickly as expected, but VW has a route back to the top.
Still, VW could use a more diversified hybrid and electric line in the US. The Tiguan seems like a no-brainer, considering more small SUVs are getting hybrid powertrains. We also could see the Atlas line being a good option for hybridization. Some EV SUVs both smaller and larger than the ID.4 would seem prudent, too.
Source: SAIC-Volkswagen, Motor1
