VW ID. Unyx (2024): This is Wolfsburg's Cupra Tavascan
New sub-brand ID. Unyx is aimed at a young audience in China. 34 new models planned by 2030
After decades in which China was the backbone of economic success for almost all German car manufacturers, this self-evident fact is increasingly disappearing. Patriotism is now the trump card among Chinese customers, especially when it comes to purely electric vehicles. The country's own manufacturers are benefiting from this. European manufacturers are struggling. First and foremost Volkswagen.
The previous ID. models are not really catching on in China. A hard blow for the Wolfsburg-based company, but now measures are being taken to help the sluggish business in China. "In China, for China" is the name of the new strategy, which aims to cater more closely to the needs of Chinese customers, and with a completely new sub-brand. This goes by the name of ID. Unyx and now the first car with this name is being presented - the ID. Unyx01.
Unsurprisingly, it is an electric SUV coupé. If the proportions and the appearance look familiar, then you are not mistaken, because the ID. Unyx is basically a Cupra Tavascan with the VW logo.
Nevertheless,Volkswagen praises the "particularly progressive design" and hails a smart human-machine interface (HMI) with a customisable 3D avatar and a range of more than 373 miles. Despite having the same drives and batteries, this is more than the Cupra claims for the Tavascan.
Gallery: VW ID. Unyx (2024)
This could be due to the CLTC standard (China Light-Duty Test Cycle). According to this standard, the ID. Unyx01 should be able to squeeze up to 385 miles of range out of the 77 kWh battery. As with its Spanish brother, there is a version with 286 PS and rear-wheel drive as well as a variant with two motors, all-wheel drive and 340 PS. The manufacturer has not yet commented on the driving performance.
VW has given the ID. Unyx "technically and visually tailored to the lifestyle of young customers in China's metropolises". Like the Cupra Tavascan, the car is manufactured in Hefei. The retail concept of the ID. Unyx sub-brand is based on 40 exclusive stores in 20 cities, where prospective customers can experience the vehicle using modern technologies such as virtual and augmented reality.
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Chinese buyers are likely to be enticed by such things. Another must-have feature is a (preferably rather playful) personal assistant. The ID. Unyx01 offers an interactive, AI-based 3D avatar whose appearance can be customised in an app and synchronised with the vehicle HMI. The voice of the avatar can be configured on the basis of a human voice and can accompany the driver for conversations.
Visually, VW has opted for a lot of gold in the Unyx. The colour can be seen on the wheels, lettering and the front brand logo. The same colour is integrated into the light strip at the rear and even illuminates itself. Gold-coloured accents can also be found inside, for example on the decorative elements on the dashboard and inside the doors.
Similarities with the Tavascan cannot be denied in the interior either. However, the centre bar that extends from the dashboard into the centre console has been dispensed with.
It is interesting to note the scale of Volkswagen's corrective measures in its most important market. The "Volkswagen Masterplan for China" envisages four more ID. Unyx models within the next three years. However, this is only a small component, as the company plans to launch no fewer than 34 new vehicles by 2030.
With the long-standing joint ventures SAIC Volkswagen and FAW-Volkswagen as well as the new Volkswagen Smart E-Mobility Hub, the product range in China, including the ID. Unyx programme, will be expanded to include 16 new electric ID. models, twelve new Volkswagens with combustion engines and six new models with plug-in hybrid drive.
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