Take a good look: it looks like an EV, drives like an EV for most of your daily errands, and yet there's a gasoline engine hiding under the hood. Volkswagen has rolled the new ID.ERA 8X onto the floor of the 29th Chengdu Motor Show — a large series hybrid developed by the SAIC Volkswagen joint venture specifically for the Chinese market. The car was technically unveiled over the summer, so Chengdu marks its first public appearance rather than a world premiere.
At 5,020 mm long with a 2,970 mm wheelbase, the ID.ERA 8X is strictly a five-seater. Compared to the six-seat ID.ERA 9X, it's 187 mm shorter and rides on a wheelbase trimmed by 100 mm — a bet not on a third row, but on a roomier cabin and trunk. The show car wears it well, with dark trim, black wheels and red brake calipers.
The powertrain revolves around a 1.5-liter EA211 turbo engine that works purely as a generator, putting out 105 kW. The rear electric motor can deliver up to 220 kW, and all-wheel-drive versions add a second motor up front. Buyers will get a choice of 51.1 kWh and 65.2 kWh battery packs.
And here's where the 8X makes its real case. The smaller battery is rated for 260–275 km of electric range on the WLTC cycle, the larger one for 330–345 km. Under China's more generous CLTC cycle, those figures climb past 340 km and 400 km, with total range — gasoline included — claimed at over 1,400 km and 1,500 km respectively. The upshot: most daily driving can be done purely on electrons, while a long trip no longer holds you hostage to a charging point.
The ID.ERA 8X also gets a digital VMC chassis control system, dual-chamber air suspension and a road-surface preview system for smoothing out bumps before you hit them. Inside, there's a 15.6-inch 2.5K display and hidden Smart Surface panels that blend seamlessly into the trim when switched off.
Volkswagen still hasn't announced an official price for the ID.ERA 8X. Reports in Chinese media pegging it around 250,000 yuan are just guesswork, not a factory sticker. And there's no confirmed word on Russian sales either — for now, that plan simply doesn't exist.
