The Volkswagen ID.X Performance Is A 552bhp ID.7 With Angry Aero

VW has built a concept version of the ID.7 packing considerably more power than the standard car plus a load of aero bits

Matt Robinson

Updated: 11 Sep 2023

The Volkswagen ID.X Performance Is A 552bhp ID.7 With Angry Aero

You get the sense that Volkswagen is aware its electric stuff hasn’t exactly been very spicy so far. After releasing a few GTX-branded products that didn’t exactly get the pulses racing, the manufacturer brought out the more in-yer-face ID GTI at the Munich motor show, and now, there’s this.

It’s called the ‘ID.X’, and it uses the new ID.7 electric ‘limousine’ (as VW calls it) as a base. Only, it’s not like any ID.7 we’ve seen before - VW really has gone to town on it, with the most obvious addition being a massive rear wing made from carbon fibre.

It’s joined by an also rather large front splitter made from the same stuff, along with a carbon rear diffuser. There are 20-inch centre-locking wheels at each end, shod in 265mm wide Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tyres. That’s some very soft, super sticky rubber right there, and since the new wheel and tyre combo is wider than what you normally get on an ID.7, there are arch extensions to suit.

The ID.X sits a considerable 60mm lower than an ID.7 on what VW refers to as “especially stiff” springs. The toe angle has been altered, too.

To go with the beefed-up chassis and increased downforce, the power output has grown significantly. The most powerful ID.7 you can get at the moment puts out 282bhp, and it’s thought the eventual GTX model (which the ID.X is likely a jumped-up preview for) might develop as much as 400bhp. The ID.X, however, is good for 552bhp. Even though the ID.7 isn’t the lightest thing in the world, it should be plenty fast.

The car was built for the ‘ID. Treffen’ enthusiast event which took place on the Swiss side of Lake Maggiore last week. Andreas Reckewerth, tech boss for VW’s MEB platform, had this to say about the concept:

“The MEB offers many fantastic possibilities for approaching vehicle development with a great deal of creativity. It was clear to us that we wanted to base our new show car on the ID.7 and that we would focus on enhancing the performance. In this way we can show what is possible.”