- SAIC-VW debuts ID. Era 5S, a new high-tech sedan for China.
- The PHEV offers a combined range of 2,000 km (1,242 miles).
- It is the first VW sedan with semi-autonomous urban driving.
Anyone keeping count of Volkswagen’s sedan offerings in China has just lost track again. The SAIC VW joint venture has unveiled the new ID. Era 5S, and despite the ID prefix that has come to mean electric across VW’s global lineup, this one actually runs a plug-in hybrid powertrain.
The ID. Era 5S stretches 4,836 mm (190.4 in.) on a 2,766 mm (108.9 in.) wheelbase, putting it above the US-spec Jetta’s 4,702 mm (185.1 in.) and 2,686 mm (105.7 in.), and just shy of the discontinued Arteon’s 4,862 mm (191.4 in.) length and 2,837 mm (111.7 in.) wheelbase.
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VW’s designers want you to know they used the 0.618 golden ratio for the proportions and reached for Bauhaus references on the way to the styling brief. The surfacing is clean and the detailing is sharp, but the profile reads conservatively, even by Volkswagen’s standards.
The full-width headlights and taillights are similar to the ID. Era 9X SUV, but they also integrate blue LEDs found on the mirrors. Those indicate when the vehicle’s sophisticated cloud-based autonomous driving systems are engaged. VW has confirmed that the ID. Era 5S will be its first sedan globally capable of semi-autonomous driving in urban environments.
The company has yet to share photos of the interior, but we do know that the ID. Era 5S will feature a cloud-based intelligent cockpit. Cloud-based, in case you hadn’t noticed, seems to be a recurring theme here.
More: VW Spent Decades Selling Europe To China, Now It Wants To Sell China To Europe
More importantly, the plug-in hybrid powertrain promises an EV-only range of 160 km (99 miles) and an estimated combined range of over 2,000 km (1,242 miles) on the CLTC cycle. Furthermore, Volkswagen claims that fuel consumption will be as low as 2.82 lt/100km (83.4 MPG) even when the battery is depleted.
The first sedan in the ID. Era family goes on sale in China in the coming months, with production handled locally by the SAIC VW joint venture.
