SAIC Volkswagen launches ID. ERA 5X, its first all-electric SUV, from $14,870 in China

• The new model is the ID. ERA family's first all-electric SUV, starting at 99,900 yuan ($14,870) with limited-time offers.
• It features the CEA architecture co-developed by Volkswagen and Xpeng, with LiDAR and urban navigation assistance available on higher trims.

volkswagen" class="tag-link text-primary font-medium">SAIC Volkswagen launched the ID. ERA 5X on Thursday, expanding its China-focused new energy vehicle (NEV) lineup with a compact SUV starting at 99,900 yuan ($14,870) with limited-time offers.

The new model is the ID. ERA family's first all-electric SUV and comes in 4 trims — Pro, Pro+, Max and Ultra — with suggested retail prices ranging from 119,900 yuan to 159,900 yuan.

Limited-time promotional prices for the 4 trims are 99,900 yuan, 115,900 yuan, 127,900 yuan and 139,900 yuan, respectively, each 20,000 yuan below its suggested retail price.

The ID. ERA 5X adds an all-electric option to volkswagen" class="tag-link text-primary font-medium">SAIC Volkswagen's NEV range. The lineup previously introduced the ID. ERA 9X and ID. ERA 8X extended-range SUVs, as well as the ID. ERA 5S plug-in hybrid sedan.

More official photos of the volkswagen" class="tag-link text-primary font-medium">SAIC Volkswagen ID. ERA 5X:

The new model is also Volkswagen's first production vehicle globally to combine the CMP (China Main Platform) with the CEA (China Electronic Architecture) electrical and electronic architecture.

CMP was developed specifically for China, while CEA was co-developed by Volkswagen and Xpeng (NYSE: XPEV), reflecting the German automaker's push to adopt local technology and accelerate its product roll-out in the market.

The ID. ERA 5X seats 5 and measures 4,560 mm in length, 1,896 mm in width and 1,630 mm in height, with a wheelbase of 2,815 mm. It retains the family's clean, rugged styling.

The SUV is powered by a single motor with a maximum output of 155 kW (208 hp). It offers 45.8-kWh and 58.5-kWh battery packs, delivering ranges of 415 km (258 miles) and 520 km, respectively.

Earlier filings with China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) showed that the model uses lithium iron phosphate batteries with cells supplied by CATL (HKEX: 3750).

The ID. ERA 5X appeared in China's regulatory filing catalog in August, opened for reservations on September 15 and saw its first production vehicle roll off the assembly line in October.

Driver assistance is among the model's main selling points. Higher trims feature 192-channel LiDAR and Horizon Robotics' (HKEX: 9660) Journey 6H chip, along with the "Xingyun Zhixing" driver-assistance system.

The system uses the HS8 end-to-end model jointly developed by Carizon, Volkswagen's joint venture with Horizon Robotics. It supports urban and highway navigation assistance, parking-space-to-parking-space navigation assistance and memory parking.

The cabin features a 15.6-inch central touchscreen, a 10.25-inch instrument display and a 4-nm MTK 8676 chip. Higher trims offer heated and ventilated front seats, while 7 airbags are standard across the range.