VW starts ID. Tiguan series production in Emden at 780 cars a day

Series production of the Volkswagen ID. Tiguan has started at the Emden plant, which currently builds 780 vehicles per day and has produced more than 500,000 electric vehicles since its conversion. The launch, held in Hall 20b, was attended by VW brand chief Thomas Schäfer, deputy general works council chairman Jürgen Mahnkopf, and Lower Saxony's minister-president Olaf Lies (SPD).

The ID. Tiguan replaces the ID.4 and its coupé variant, the ID.5. Volkswagen unveiled the new model in early October. There will be no coupé version. The name links the electric SUV to the combustion-engine Tiguan, which has sold more than eight million units to date.

What are the technical figures?

The drivetrains reach up to 220 kW, with ranges of up to 600 km and towing capacities of up to two tonnes. Charging performance has drawn criticism: the smaller 58-kWh LFP battery (lithium iron phosphate chemistry) peaks at 105 kW on DC fast charging, while the larger 77-kWh NMC battery (nickel-manganese-cobalt chemistry) reaches 165 kW — well short of current segment benchmarks.

Where is it built — and what has stopped?

Production runs in Emden, not at Volkswagen's main plant, where the "Gamechanger" project was recently scrapped. The plant near the Dutch border has built only electric vehicles for around two years, most recently the ID.4, the ID.7 and the ID.7 Tourer, the estate version of the ID.7 saloon.

The ID.4 appears to have ended production with the ID. Tiguan's start. Volkswagen has not said so in its communications, but configurable ID.4 versions are no longer available to order, and the manufacturer's website now lists only stock vehicles. ID.5 production must have stopped weeks earlier, as no stock units remain.

With the ID. Tiguan, Volkswagen aims to extend the ID. family, which has delivered more than two million vehicles since its launch in 2019.

What did executives say?

Christian Vollmer, Member of the Board of Management for Production and Logistics, said: "The start of production of the ID. Tiguan is a special moment for the Emden plant. This launch represents an enormous joint achievement." He credited employees for shaping the transition to electromobility, implementing new technologies and processes, and adapting to changing production requirements, adding that their experience had created the conditions to build the ID. Tiguan "at the highest quality".

Mahnkopf framed the model as an anchor for the site. He said: "We are very confident that the ID. Tiguan will make a decisive contribution to ensuring that VW can celebrate 70 years of history in Emden in 2034 – looking back on a proud production record for electric vehicles."

Why does the plant's future remain open?

Emden sits on Volkswagen's list of endangered sites, with plant utilisation from 2031 onwards uncertain. Minister-President Olaf Lies, who also sits on Volkswagen's supervisory board, argued for keeping the plant open. According to Handelsblatt, he stated there is "no end date for car production in Emden".

The first collective bargaining negotiations in the current dispute are scheduled for 24 November. These talks do not directly address a potential closure from 2031, but IG Metall has called a demonstration for that day under the slogan "Save VW Emden".

What to watch next: whether Volkswagen formally confirms the ID.4's production end, the outcome of the 24 November bargaining round, and any capacity commitment for Emden beyond 2031.