Volkswagen ID.Era 9X is brand's first range-extender electric SUV

The Volkswagen ID.Era 9X six-seat SUV is the automaker’s first extended-range electric vehicle (EREV), and is scheduled to go on sale in China later in 2026.

Developed with Volkswagen’s Chinese joint venture partner SAIC – which owns brands such as LDV and MG – specifically for China, the ID.Era 9X was first shown in concept form at the 2025 Shanghai motor show.

Now, details of the production SUV – including exterior dimensions and powertrain specifications – have been released.

Measuring 5207mm long, it’s one of the largest vehicles the brand has produced, eclipsing the Touareg (4902mm) sold here and even the Atlas (5097mm) and Talagon (5168mm) three-row SUVs offered overseas.

The German automaker has yet to confirm the ID.Era 9X for export markets. Should it remain exclusive to China, it’ll be part of a large contingent of vehicles developed for that market, from the small Tharu XR crossover SUV all the way up to the large Viloran people mover.

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Local Volkswagen showrooms currently offer only a single hybrid model, the five-seat Touareg plug-in hybrid (PHEV), though PHEV versions of the Tiguan and Tayron SUVs have been announced for Australia in 2026. In Europe, there’s a wider range of PHEVs, with conventional hybrid powertrains also due, starting with the upcoming second-generation T-Roc.

Meanwhile, three different ID.Era 9X powertrain configurations have been announced for China.

All versions use a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine from the Volkswagen EA211 modular engine family which, as a range-extender, acts solely as a generator to recharge the battery.

The entry-level version uses a 51.1kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery pack, delivering a claimed electric driving range of 267km on the CLTC cycle.

A larger 65.2kWh nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) battery increases electric range to 340km, paired with a 220kW electric motor driving the rear wheels.

Volkswagen claims fuel consumption of 5.9L/100km for both rear-wheel drive versions.

An all-wheel drive version uses the larger 65.2kWh battery and adds a front-axle motor, delivering a combined output of 380kW, a claimed electric range of 321km and fuel consumption of 6.3L/100km.

No official figures for total driving range have been provided, with the six-seat SUV weighing up to 2700kg.

Bloomberg has reported the Volkswagen brand is considering whether to offer EREVs in the United States and Europe, given the rising popularity of hybrids in those markets over the past 12 months.

It has previously confirmed EREVs under the new Scout off-roader brand for the US market, though nothing for the Volkswagen Group’s namesake brand.

While Volkswagen, like many other manufacturers, previously bet heavily on electric vehicles (EVs), the company has since revised its plans to account for slower EV uptake and growing demand for hybrid powertrains, despite its EVs selling strongly in Europe.

The European Commission has also announced plans to soften its previously proposed 2035 regulations effectively banning new internal combustion-engined vehicles, impacting automakers’ future product strategies.

Hybrid sales have surged in the US, with EV demand hampered by import tariffs and the end of consumer tax incentives, which were axed in September 2025.

Hybrid sales have also increased sharply in Australia, rising 15.3 per cent year-on-year in 2025 after staggering 76 per cent growth in 2024, driven largely by Toyota switching the majority of its passenger-car range to hybrid-only powertrains from 2024.

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