VW ID.Era SUV Concept Previews Brand’s First Range Extender EV; Offers Over 1000 Km Range

Volkswagen unveiled three new ID concepts at the Shanghai Motor Show 2025, developed by its Chinese joint ventures SAIC Volkswagen, FAW-Volkswagen and Volkswagen Anhui. The first of these is the ID.Era, developed by SAIC VW, which previews VW’s first-ever range extender EV. The ID.Era takes the shape of a large boxy SUV with contemporary design details and a range extender electric powertrain claimed to deliver a range of over 1,000 km on a single charge.

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Starting with the design, the ID.Era looks to draw inspiration from the boxy SUVs of old with more contemporary design detailing. The upright nose features a high-set lightbar with an illuminated VW logo in the centre. The main headlamps are positioned lower down on the bumper, while a slim air vent sits at the base of the fascia. A unique design element is the black strip that wraps around the vehicle with what looks to be vertical illuminated strips embedded within. 

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Down the sides, the ID.Era features clean body lines with notable design elements, including the flush sitting door handles and gently flared wheel arches. Round the back, too, the design is clean with the only notable design element being the full-width lightbar with an illuminated VW logo. All in all, the SUV looks to be quite close to production. 

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While VW has not shared full powertrain details, the company does say that the ID.Era features an electric drivetrain supported by a petrol generator, giving it a range of over 1,000 km. The ID.Era has an electric-only range of over 300 km. 

The second concept of note is the FAW-VW developed ID.Aura sedan. The near-production looking sedan concept is VW’s first model to sit on a new China-specific Compact Main Platform. VW says that the new platform features ‘AI-based high computing capacity’ and will support ‘highly automated driving.’ VW says that the ID.Aura concept previews a future model targeting A-segment buyers. 

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Last of the trio is the ID.Evo concept from Volkswagen Anhui, an electric SUV featuring an 800V architecture and previews the first full-size SUV under the new ID.UNYX family of cars for the Chinese market.