VW ID.5 Coupe-Style EV Assembly Starts in Zwickau

• Production of the VW ID.5 and ID.5 GTX has started in Germany, with the coupe-shaped model based closely on the ID.4.

• The Zwickau plant has been producing most of the MEB platform electric models in Volkswagen Group's lineup, but ID.4 production will also start in Tennessee later this year.

• Volkswagen has kept a number of ID models out of the US, including the ID.3, ID.5, and ID.6, but will offer the production version of the ID.Buzz here starting in 2023.

Volkswagen has started building the ID.5 and sportier ID.5 GTX electric crossovers, based closely on the ID.4 model but featuring a more coupe-like profile. Production of the ID.5 began in Zwickau, Germany, this week, where most of the MEB platform electric models are built for VW, Audi, and SEAT's Cupra brands.

The ID.5 was revealed in production form just a couple of months ago, offering a total of three powertrain options, all paired with a 77-kWh battery. The base model is a single-motor, rear-wheel-drive ID.5 Pro with 172 hp and 229 lb-ft of torque on tap, while the ID.5 Pro Performance model dials up the output to 201 hp and 229 lb-ft of torque while still offering a single motor out back. The dual-motor model in the range, as you've probably guessed by now, is the ID.5 GTX, and it offers a combined 295 hp.

Despite the popularity of this body style on crossovers of all types, VW won't offer the ID.5 or its GTX flavor stateside at all, prioritizing other regions. Following the reveal of the ID.Buzz later this spring, slated to be built in Hanover, Germany, and arrive on sale stateside in 2023, VW plans to start ID.4 production in Chattanooga, Tennessee, later this year.