Volkswagen has introduced the ID. Unyx sub-brand in the People’s Republic, and its first product is an eponymous model. If it looks familiar, it’s because the new VW ID. Unyx is a rebadged Cupra Tavascan.
Only a few design tweaks set the two models apart. China's VW ID. Unyx sports different headlamp graphics, a thin LED light bar, and a different front bumper. It also has different taillamps and a slightly modified rear bumper. The profile is identical, and VW logos decorate the front and rear ends and the wheels, which are the model's final novelty on the outside.
Opening the door reveals an almost identical layout. Nevertheless, the ID. Unyx sports a different steering wheel, a new center console, and new trim on the dashboard. Everything else seems to carry over from the Cupra Tavascan. Volkswagen hasn't gone into specifics, but the new electric crossover for China seems to have identical 15-inch infotainment screen and 5.3-inch digital instrument cluster, and probably an augmented reality head-up display.
Like the Tavascan, which is the ID. 5's Mediterranean cousin, the new ID. Unyx utilizes the MEB construction. The Cupra model brings a rear electric motor that develops 282 horsepower (286 ps/210 kW) and 402 pound-foot (545 Nm) of torque. The superior VZ adds a second motor for an electric all-wheel-drive system and a combined 335 horsepower (340 ps/250 kW) and 501 pound-foot (679 Nm) of torque. The punchier variant does 0-62 mph (0-100 kph) in 5.6s.
Photo: Volkswagen
So, what powertrains do you think the VW ID. Unyx features? Well, it comes with the same electric motor mounted on the rear axle in the base model, assisted by an identical 77 kWh battery pack. Later on, an all-wheel drive version with two electric motors will join the offering in the People's Republic. And guess what? It has the same thrust and output as Europe's Cupra Tavascan.
Volkswagen says the entry-level ID. Unyx can travel up to 386 miles (621 km) on the local standard. By comparison, the Cupra Tavascan has a WLTP-rated range of 342 miles or 550 kilometers, whereas the superior all-wheel-drive model can do 323 miles (520 km).
VW has yet to release additional details about its new electric crossover coupe for China, yet it states the new ID. Unyx sub-brand models are "a central component" of its local master plan. The automaker will introduce no fewer than 34 new vehicles locally by the end of the decade. These will include 16 new ID. models part of the ID. Unyx program, twelve featuring internal combustion engines with no electric trickery, and six brand-new plug-in hybrids.
The new Volkswagen ID. Unyx EV is a China-only product, so don't expect it to launch in markets outside the People's Republic.
After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s. Full profile
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