VW Speeds up ID.4 Production with Additional Factory Space

• VW begins ID.4 production at its Emden, Lower Saxony, plant that has been refitted for MEB platform cars.

• The Emden plant becomes the fourth global production site of the ID.4, after Zwickau, Anting, and Foshan, and ahead of the start of production at the fifth site in Chattanooga later this year.

• The Emden plant is scheduled to begin production of the electric sedan code-named Aero B, which is expected to target the Tesla Model 3.

The Volkswagen ID.4 now has a fourth home in Emden, Germany, with the automaker starting production of its electric crossover just a few days ago. The automaker announced plans over a year ago to transform Emden into an EV-only facility, with the ID.4 being the first model to be launched there, adding to existing production sites in Zwickau, Germany, as well as Foshan and Anting in China.

"Rapid expansion of production capacities for our successful ID.4 model is a key component of our Accelerate strategy. It helps us accelerate the transformation to zero-carbon mobility and create further capacities to meet the high demand for electric vehicles," said Volkswagen CEO Ralf Brandstätter. "With our clear commitment to the site, we aim to show that cost-effectiveness and competitiveness are not only possible in the region, but that we can even enhance them lastingly."

The launch of ID.4 production in Emden is expected to alleviate some of the production bottlenecks that Volkswagen's ID lineup had been experiencing, with delivery times for a number of popular models stretching into many months. Up until now all stateside ID.4 units had been produced in Zwickau for Europe and North America, putting quite a lot of pressure on the plant, while those in Anting and Foshan had been made only for sale in China.

Later this year ID.4 production will begin in Chattanooga, with the expanded Tennessee plant set to become the fifth assembly site for the crossover. The vehicles produced there will allow for much quicker delivery windows for US customers, while giving Volkswagen a crucial production site for its MEB platform in the states.

But more EVs are also on the way in Emden.

"Apart from the ID.4, Emden will make another model—the AERO B—next year," said Brandstätter. "In addition, production of the iconic ID. Buzz will commence this year at Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles in Hanover. It will be joined from 2023 on by the ID.3 made in Wolfsburg, while a further electric vehicle—the Trinity—will then roll off the assembly line at the location starting in 2026."

The Aero B is the automaker's planned electric sedan, expected to be sized close to the Tesla Model 3, and had been previewed by the ID. Vizzion concept in 2020. The model is just about ready for its public debut in production form, and has been spotted lapping the Nürburgring in recent weeks.

The sedan won't arrive on sale, however, until the second half of 2023 as a 2024 model, so there is still quite a bit of wait time, and its has not been explicitly greenlit for the US. We have a hard time thinking it will skip the US, as Volkswagen has needed a Tesla Model 3 competitor here for quite some time, especially at a price that can compete favorably with the Model 3.

Emden isn't the only other VW plant in Germany that the automaker is getting ready for EV production.

"The Group is also investing in Braunschweig, Salzgitter and Kassel, among other things in further expansion of the existing MEB production of battery systems, rotors/stators and electric motors," Brandstätter added. "The Salzgitter location is being expanded further into a European battery hub. Investments in Lower Saxony will add up to 21 billion euros overall by 2026—an unprecedented level, also by international standards."