Volkswagen ID.4 is the most affordable all-wheel-drive electric vehicle on sale in the U.S.Herndon, VA — The new Volkswagen ID.4 AWD electric SUV revealed today will offer Americans yet another reason to embrace sustainable driving. With two electric motors, max 295 horsepower and an estimated 0-60 mph time of 5.7 seconds for the AWD Pro model, the ID.4 AWD offers performance and all-weather traction at a starting MSRP that no other all-wheel-drive electric vehicle for sale in the U.S. can beat. “We’re committed to making EVs the default choice for Americans,” said Scott Keogh, President and Chief Executive Officer of Volkswagen of America. “The all-wheel-drive ID.4 merges the utility and zero-emissions driving delivered by the rear-wheel-drive vehicle with the performance from our sporty vehicles.” The ID.4 AWD combines the permanent magnet synchronous electric motor on the rear axle of the standard ID.4 with a new asynchronous electric motor on the front axle; unlike a traditional all-wheel-drive system, there are no mechanical links between the axles. The rear unit generates a maximum output of 201 horsepower and 228 pound-feet of torque, while the front unit has a maximum output of 107 horsepower and 119 pound-feet of torque. Together, the system has a maximum output of 295 horsepower. Each motor connects to the wheels through a differential and a single-speed gearbox. The variable all-wheel-drive system offers several benefits over traditional mechanical set-ups. The rear motor handles standard driving situations, leaving the front motor to engage only as needed, such as when the ID.4 senses wheelspin at any corner. The motors can react faster than any combustion engine—within a few hundredths of a second—so that the driver never notices the changes. Both motors are linked to the rest of the vehicle through the Vehicle Dynamics Manager, which balances performance and battery efficiency. As in the rear-wheel-drive ID.4, the Vehicle Dynamics Manager works closely together with the Electronic Stability Control (ESC), and controls when the front-axle motor should engage. It also handles the XDS+ brake-based differential to optimize handling when cornering at speed: it gently brakes the wheels on the inside of the bend, thus turning the car slightly into the radius as require