The VW ID. UNYX 09 is going on pre-sale in China
Volkswagen has launched pre-sales in China for a new electric sedan: the VW ID. UNYX 09, which is manufactured by Volkswagen Anhui and developed in partnership with Xpeng. It starts at 199,900 yuan (approximately 26,000 euros). Like all of VW’s current electric vehicles in China, this model is not planned to be brought to Europe.
The VW ID. UNYX 09 was introduced in April ahead of Auto China in Beijing, then still as a near-production concept car. In July, the registration application was made public. Since then, we know that this electric sedan measures 5.08 x 1.98 x 1.51 meters with a wheelbase of 3.03 meters. Volkswagen itself refers to it not as a sedan but as a GT Coupé. This is likely due to its relatively high performance specs: the base rear-wheel-drive version delivers up to 230 kW of power. In the all-wheel-drive version, in addition to the rear motor with 230 kW, a second unit of 140 kW is added at the front, raising the total power to 370 kW.
While battery specifications were missing at the time, we now know that the VW ID. UNYX 09 is equipped with a LFP battery from CATL with a capacity of just under 92 kWh. Combined with rear-wheel drive, it offers a range of 755 km according to CLTC standards or 612 km under the Western WLTP testing method. With all-wheel drive, the range is 705 km per CLTC standards or 571 km per WLTP.
The price list for the rear-wheel drive version starts at 199,900 yuan during pre-sales, which is approximately 26,000 euros. The all-wheel drive version costs 50,000 yuan more, at 249,900 yuan (just under 33,000 euros). This starting price is 30,000 yuan lower than that of the VW ID. UNYX 08 E-SUV, introduced in April and the first series model developed jointly by VW and Xpeng.
Technical similarities to the Xpeng P7
The new VW ID. UNYX 09 was also developed jointly with Xpeng, but not yet based on Volkswagen’s new China Electronic Architecture (CEA). Instead, the ID. UNYX 09 relies directly on the vehicle technology of its Chinese partner and is considered a technical relative of the Xpeng P7. With the ID. UNYX 08 as well, Volkswagen had previously adopted a Xpeng vehicle platform—the SUV G9’s platform—and developed it further for its own brand.
Xpeng’s technology is also evident inside the vehicle: the VW ID. UNYX 09 uses Xpeng’s AI-powered driving assistance chip Turing, which delivers 750 TOPS of computing power. Its sensor suite includes 11 cameras, 3 millimeter-wave radars, and 12 ultrasonic sensors. Xpeng’s comprehensive VLA driving assistance system supports navigation with Autopilot (NOA) on highways and in cities, as well as AI-driven assistance for parking. Parking features include driver exit parking, remote parking, and reversing along a previously traveled route.
The cockpit features a digital design: Among its most notable features is an 85-inch head-up display with augmented reality. Volkswagen aims to provide coverage for three lanes as well as a low-mounted dashboard. Additionally, it includes a sound system with 20 speakers.
VW ID. UNYX 09 with “wolf-like aesthetics”
In designing the VW ID. UNYX 09, designers focused on a “wolf-like aesthetic,” especially on the front end. It is equipped with high-resolution DLP matrix projection headlights and interactive LED units that project lane guides and vehicle width markers to enhance safety at night. The vehicle is also adorned with a wolf head emblem, serving as a nod to the logo of the city of Wolfsburg—even though the car is actually Chinese-made. Yet Wolfsburg seems to have cult status in China, and the wolf head logo “was designed with German precision and reinterpreted through Eastern symmetry aesthetics.”