VW to take on Tesla Model X in China with electric SUV
German carmaker plans to build an electric sports utility vehicle for China from 2021
Shanghai — Volkswagen plans to build a fully electric sports utility vehicle (SUV) for China from 2021, taking on the Chinese market leader Tesla’s Model X as the German carmaker ramps up production of zero emissions vehicles. The planned new SUV is the latest move in Volkswagen’s aggressive growth strategy in China, where electric cars are given preferential treatment by authorities. VW said its ID Roommzz, which it presented in Shanghai on Sunday, will have three rows of seats and an operating range of up to 450km. The concept car is capable of “level 4 autonomous driving”, VW said. VW CEO Herbert Diess said the ID Roommzz will be the flagship electric car to be launched by Volkswagen in China. “We plan to produce more than 22-million electric cars in the next 10 years,” Diess said, adding that about half of VW’s engineers were working on products destined for China. Diess said the ID Roommzz would eventually be rolled out to other markets. To enhance VW Group’s research and devel...
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