Volkswagen Kills The ID.5: Swoopy Electric SUV Bites The Dust

The rumors were right: Volkswagen is killing the ID.5. The swoopy electric SUV will disappear from the lineup, and unlike the ID.4, it won't live on with a new name. VW has now confirmed that the new ID. Tiguan will replace both the ID.4 and ID.5. Teased earlier today, the electric SUV is scheduled to hit European roads in early 2027, with its world premiere set for early October.

That means the ID.5's relatively short run is officially coming to an end. Introduced in 2021 as the brand's first electric SUV-coupe mashup, the ID.5 differentiated itself from the ID.4 with a sloping roofline and a more streamlined profile. VW itself called it the company's first E-SUV coupe, but the new ID. Tiguan goes in a different direction as it’s based on the conventionally shaped ID.4.

Rather than replacing the ID.5 with another coupe-SUV, VW is consolidating the two models into a single electric SUV that doesn’t look like it was beaten with a coupe stick. The ID. Tiguan has a more upright, traditional shape designed to maximize interior space and give it a closer visual connection to the combustion-powered Tiguan.

Practicality Wins

In other words, Wolfsburg is choosing practicality over the swoopy silhouette. That's hardly surprising given that the ID.4 was the more conventional of the two and proved more popular with customers. Rumors about the ID.5 being discontinued first emerged last year, with reports pointing to weaker demand and the absence of a planned second generation. There's another important detail: the ID.5 was never sold in the United States.

And there's no secret ID.5 replacement waiting in the wings. VW spokesperson Stefan Voswinkel told Motor1 that there won't be a direct replacement for the ID.5. The ID. Tiguan effectively closes the gap by replacing both electric SUVs with one model rather than maintaining separate conventional and coupe-style body styles.

The ID.5 Is Dead, But The Ford Capri Lives On

That makes the ID.5 something of an oddity in VW’s rapidly changing EV lineup. It arrived alongside the ID.4 when the company was still experimenting with numerical names for its electric models and creating multiple body styles from the same basic formula. Now, the company is moving toward something very different: familiar nameplates such as Tiguan, Polo, and Cross for its electric cars.

The German automaker says this strategy is intended to give customers a clearer connection between its electric models and established nameplates. It's a direction it should've probably taken from day one, but as the saying goes, better late than never.

While the ID.5 is effectively dead, it indirectly lives on through the Ford Capri. Strange times, indeed.