SAIC Volkswagen has started taking reservations for the ID. ERA 8X, the third model in its ID. ERA family, positioning it as a "German driving flagship SUV" in China's 250,000-yuan (about $35,200) segment for large five-seat range-extender electric vehicles. The model, which goes on sale on October 12, features a Volkswagen EA211 range extender, a smart chassis, and the Momenta R7 world model for assisted driving, according to Chinese outlet D1EV.
Range and powertrain
The ID. ERA 8X is offered in four trims: Pro, Max, Max Long Range and Ultra Long Range. The Max Long Range version uses a 65.2 kWh CATL battery, giving a CLTC pure-electric range of 451 km and a combined range of 1,602 km. As a guide, CLTC figures tend to be roughly 15-20% more optimistic than WLTP, so the equivalent WLTP figures would be approximately 360-380 km and 1,280-1,360 km (est.). The car accelerates from 0-100 km/h in 4.6 seconds and has a claimed fuel consumption of 5.85 L/100 km when the battery is depleted, running on 92-octane petrol.
All versions come with 800V fast charging, allowing a 10-80% charge in 16 minutes, and support 3.5 kW vehicle-to-load (V2L) power output for camping and outdoor use. The car measures 5,020 mm in length with a 2,970 mm wheelbase, and is available with features such as a 12L dual-door refrigerator, Nappa leather seats with heating, ventilation and massage, and a 23-speaker 7.1.4 surround sound system on higher trims.
Assisted driving and safety
The ID. ERA 8X is the first model to launch with the Momenta R7 world model, which the company says moves assisted driving from "seeing" to "anticipating". It uses 26 perception sensors including a 192-line lidar, millimetre-wave radar and high-definition cameras, and can handle 29 scenarios such as narrow-road passing, three-point turns, obstacle avoidance and roundabouts. The car also debuts a parking-to-parking (D2D) navigation feature that links driving and parking from the departure spot to the destination, including through toll gates. SAIC Volkswagen says existing ID. ERA 9X owners will receive the R7 world model via an over-the-air update from September 28.
On safety, the ID. ERA 8X comes with seven layers of thermal runaway protection, a battery floor that can withstand 2,000 J of impact, and nine airbags as standard. The company says the car completed more than 1 million km of road testing plus 500,000 km of off-road durability testing, including high-temperature and extreme cold conditions, in response to online questions about whether its summer testing footage was AI-generated.
The ID. ERA 8X is the second model in the ID. ERA family to launch this year, following the ID. ERA 9X in April and the ID. ERA 5S in August, which has received over 20,000 orders. The company says the new model is aimed at small families who want a car that is easy to drive and park daily but can also handle mountain roads and camping trips. Chinese actor Li Zhiting, an official driver for the SAIC Volkswagen 333 racing team, has been named brand ambassador for the ID. ERA 8X.
