With a $39,995 starting price, the 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 Pro is one of the most affordable electric vehicles offered in the United States. The cheapest ID.4 variant is rear-wheel-drive, packing 201 horsepower and 228 lb-ft of torque with an 82 kWh battery yielding up to 260 miles of driving range. After factoring in the $7,500 federal tax credit, the ID.4 is cheaper than a conventional gas-powered vehicle of the same size and capability. VW even lets customers lease it for only $379 per month or less in certain states.

For US buyers, monthly payment is more important than the overall sticker price. To make the ID.4 even more attainable, VW will eventually sell a less expensive variant with a smaller battery pack. "We will offer a lower-priced version with a 62-kWh battery when we localize," a VW spokesperson told CarBuzz.

For reference, only 77 kWh of the ID.4 Pro's 82-kWh battery pack is usable, and it is the only option currently offered on this model in the US. The ID.4's European hatchback counterpart, the ID.3, already offers several more affordable variants with smaller battery packs. These include the ID.3 Pro Performance with the same 82-kWh battery found in the ID.4 (with 77-kWh usable), an ID.3 Pro with a 62-kWh battery (58-kWh usable), and an ID.3 Pure Performance with a 48-kWh battery (45-kWh usable).

In the ID.3, the smaller battery packs produce less output with 143 hp and 199 lb-ft of torque. It's unclear if the US-market ID.4 with this battery will also arrive with less power, but the range will certainly be lower than 260 miles.

VW is currently building US-market ID.4 models at its Zwickau facility in Germany. However, the company's US plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, is currently receiving upgrades to produce the car locally. Current estimates expect US ID.4 production to begin in 2022, possibly for the 2023 model year.

When this change occurs, VW will likely introduce the smaller 62-kWh battery and announce price cuts across the board. Moving production to the US should cut down on VW's manufacturing and shipping costs, allowing the company to pass savings onto the consumer. Perhaps the ID.4 might even approach the Chevy Bolt EUV, which undercuts its German rival at $33,995, albeit with no federal tax credit.