New all-electric Volkswagen Aero B saloon to rival Tesla Model 3

Our spy photographers have spotted the upcoming Volkswagen Aero B model undergoing testing, giving us our best look yet at the firm’s rival for the Tesla Model 3.

The shots show that the new all-electric saloon will have a similar design to VW’s ID range. At the front the nose is short and low to help aerodynamic performance, while the look of the lower grille and headlights is reminiscent of the ID.4 SUV’s. The grille is still camouflaged, but is likely to be smaller and blanked off on the production car. Our exclusive images preview how the car could look when it arrives in 2023.

Set to go on sale next year, the Aero B was first shown as a concept, dubbed the ID. Vizzion, at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show. We expect the finished car’s name will stick with the traditional ID naming convention. In 2018, Volkswagen bosses promised that the production saloon would be capable of 600km (327 miles) on a single charge, but with the brand’s updated MEB platform imminent, the Aero B could exceed this.

In a presentation at the UBS Paris Electric Car Day last month, Volkswagen revealed “enhancements” for the MEB platform, which could appear for the first time on the Aero B. The new battery and motor system will be able to deliver 435 miles of range on a charge, while the MEB platform’s maximum recharge rate will be raised from 150kW to 200kW, so a 10-80 per cent top-up should take less than half an hour. Given the relatively long wheelbase of the Aero B, VW should be able to incorporate its biggest 77kWh battery without any trouble.

Performance should be increased too, with the potential for a hot four-wheel-drive GTX version offering a 0-62mph time of around 5.5 seconds. The current ID.4 GTX and ID.5 GTX SUVs put out 295bhp and 310Nm of torque, and this is the set-up most likely to appear in a GTX variant of the Aero B.

Eventually, Volkswagen will also launch an estate version of the Aero B, which was previewed by the ID. Space Vizzion concept from the 2019 Los Angeles Motor Show. This car was fitted with a dual-motor electric powertrain, which produces a more potent 335bhp, but it remains to be seen whether this will make it into production.

Inside, we expect the Aero B will feature the same compact digital dashboard and 10-inch infotainment system as the rest of Volkswagen’s MEB-based models, with the potential for a larger 12-inch screen to feature on high-spec editions.

Click here to read about the upcoming Volkswagen ID.3 GTX electric hot hatch…