Volkswagen will rename its ID.4 electric SUV as the ID. Tiguan later this year, Germany’s IG Metall trade union said, confirming earlier reports by Automobilwoche.
The renaming, which had circulated in industry discussions for months, was publicly confirmed by IG Metall Emden. According to the union, production of the ID. Tiguan at Volkswagen’s Emden plant in Lower Saxony will continue until the end of 2031. A decision on a successor electric midsize SUV from the site has not yet been taken.
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The ID. Tiguan will launch alongside a facelift of the battery-electric SUV. The update is expected to introduce technical changes including a transition to Volkswagen’s updated MEB+ platform, a new entry-level electric motor and, in base variants, the adoption of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery cells. Design revisions are also planned, including the replacement of recessed door handles with conventional pull handles.
Volkswagen initially produced the ID.4 exclusively at its Zwickau plant in Saxony, which was fully converted to manufacture electric vehicles based on the MEB platform. Production was later expanded to Emden, where capacity became available after the Arteon was discontinued and Passat production moved to Bratislava. Going forward, the ID. Tiguan will be built exclusively in Emden, while ID.4 production in Zwickau is being phased out.
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Zwickau will retain production of other MEB-based models, including the Audi Q4 e-tron, and is expected to continue building the Cupra Born and parts of the ID.3 range. The ID.5 SUV coupé, currently produced in Zwickau, will be discontinued and will not be relocated to Emden.
Volkswagen has said the move toward familiar combustion-era model names with an “ID.” prefix is intended to strengthen the emotional appeal of its electric vehicles and improve customer recognition. The strategy follows the confirmation of the ID. Polo name for the near-production electric compact car previously known as the ID.2, and the planned ID. Cross SUV aligned with the T-Cross naming convention.
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Separately, Volkswagen this week announced a restructuring of governance across its volume brands, including VW Passenger Cars, Škoda and Seat/Cupra. The automaker said the changes are expected to generate savings of around €1 billion in production costs by 2030.