Volkswagen ID.7 Tourer previewed as the brand's first electric wagon

Volkswagen will simultaneously expand its range of electric cars and enter the burgeoning electric station wagon segment when it launches the ID.7 Tourer. Closely related to the ID.7 sedan, the long-roof model features an aerodynamic exterior design and a spacious interior.

Beyond the powertrain, this new variant of the ID.7 breaks with tradition in one key way: It's not called Variant, the name that has denoted many of Volkswagen's wagons since the Type 3-based model (known as the Squareback in the United States) made its debut in 1962. It's still covered in camouflage, but the wrap is light enough to reveal that the Tourer looks a lot like the sedan from the tip of the front bumper to the B pillar. Beyond that, its roofline gently slopes into an almost shooting-brake-like rear end accented by a spoiler above the hatch window.

Designers dialed in a 0.24 drag coefficient, which should maximize range. In comparison, the sedan's drag coefficient checks in at 0.23.

Interior photos haven't been published yet, but we're told there's space for five passengers and up to 19.2 cubic feet of your stuff. Folding down the rear bench increases that figure to a crossover-like 60.5. We're expecting that the Tourer, which will be positioned as an upmarket model, will offer the same basic set of features as the sedan, so the list of available equipment will include a 15-inch touchscreen for the infotainment system, electronically-controlled air vents, massaging front seats, and a 14-speaker Harman Kardon sound system. 

Similarly, we'll need to be patient to learn what's under the sheetmetal; Volkswagen only clarified that the ID.7 Tourer rides on the modular MEB platform that underpins all of its current ID-branded models. Rear-wheel-drive will likely come standard, and dual-motor all-wheel-drive could be offered at an extra cost in some markets. Sedan buyers have two battery packs to choose from: a 77- and an 86-kilowatt-hour unit.

Built in Emden, Germany, the Volkswagen ID.7 Tourer will make its full debut in 2024. As of writing, nothing suggests that the model will be sold in the United States. We're getting the ID.7 sedan, however; it will join the ID.Buzz and the ID.4 in showrooms before the end of 2024.