FAW-Volkswagen has unveiled the ID. AURA T6, a new battery-electric SUV that marks the joint venture's most serious attempt yet to match the technology levels of Chinese EV rivals. The model, which has entered pre-sale in China, adds a lidar-equipped advanced driver assistance system and a redesigned smart cockpit, according to Chinese automotive outlet Autohome.
Design and interior
The ID. AURA T6 adopts a sharper exterior than previous ID models, with a closed grille, a full-width light bar and an illuminated VW badge. It measures 4,811 mm long, 1,879 mm wide and 1,648 mm tall, with a 2,836 mm wheelbase. Inside, the cabin features a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, a 15.6-inch floating touchscreen and a 25.8-inch augmented-reality head-up display, with almost no physical buttons.
The car is powered by a 4 nm cockpit chip with around 20 TOPS of computing power, which Autohome says is comparable to Qualcomm's 8295. It supports over-the-air updates, a sentry mode, remote control and smartphone integration including wireless CarPlay, HiCar and Carlink. Voice control, supplied by iFlytek, handles continuous dialogue, four-zone recognition and nine Chinese dialects, and an AI large model answers questions about the car and local life.
Powertrain and range
The ID. AURA T6 uses a rear-mounted 170 kW (228 hp) electric motor, accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in 7.4 seconds. Two battery options are offered: a 59.9 kWh lithium iron phosphate pack with a CLTC range of 540 km, and a 77.5 kWh pack with a CLTC range of 660 km. Autohome notes the car does not use an 800-volt architecture, so a 30-80% charge takes more than 20 minutes. For reference, CLTC figures are generally 15-20% more optimistic than WLTP, so the real-world ranges would be roughly 460-540 km (WLTP est.) and 560-660 km (WLTP est.) respectively.
The chassis uses MacPherson front and multi-link rear suspension with frequency-selective damping, and despite the lack of rear-wheel steering, the turning circle is a compact 4.75 metres.
Driver assistance
The ID. AURA T6 is equipped with a Horizon Robotics Journey 6H ADAS chip delivering 420 TOPS of computing power, paired with a 192-line lidar from RoboSense. It supports city NOA (urban advanced driver assistance) for scenarios such as unprotected left turns, mixed traffic, roundabouts and U-turns, as well as highway NOA with automatic ramp entry and exit, lane changes and overtaking. In Autohome's test, the system handled a challenging unprotected left turn without traffic lights, avoiding cross traffic and scooters, though it tended to be conservative in some highway situations, keeping a larger following distance.
The ID. AURA T6 is now in pre-sale in China, with pricing yet to be officially announced. Autohome describes the price as "very attractive," positioning the model as a potential counteroffensive by a joint venture brand in China's fiercely competitive EV market.
Based on reporting by 汽车之家. Edited and published in English by geisou.
