Volkswagen ID.UNYX
Volkswagen launched its first coupe-styled sports utility vehicle, the ID.UNYX, in the eastern Chinese city of Hefei on Wednesday, July 17, 2024. Credit: Volkswagen

Volkswagen on Wednesday launched its first coupe-styled sports utility vehicle, the ID.UNYX, boasting high-tech features such as more diversified choices for infotainment content and a “worry-free” autonomous parking function at a price range between RMB 209,900 and RMB 249,900 ($28,918-$34,429). The actual selling price for early buyers will be reduced to RMB 199,900, as the carmaker knocks the standard RMB 5,000 deposit off of the final price in addition to discounts totaling RMB 10,000 on the original ticket price of the car. The latest member of VW’s electric vehicle ID. series has a driving range of 621 kilometers (386 miles) between charges; Tesla’s rear-wheel-drive Model Y, its main competitor in China priced from RMB 249,900, travels 554 km on a single charge. Volkswagen Anhui, the third joint venture by the German automaker with a Chinese partner, is set to enter 20 cities in the country this year and will expand its sales network to 70 cities by the end of 2025, according to a recent announcement. VW operated two joint subsidiaries with SAIC and FAW for years in China before partnering with Anhui-headquartered JAC Motors in 2017. [VW announcement, in Chinese]