VW’s New Electric Sedan Looks Like a Jetta From 10 Years Ago

For decades, VW has been selling a bunch of very conservative-looking sedans in China. They all seem to be versions of the Jetta or even the old Passat. Now we have this new VW ID. Aura L5. It looks like a more modern Jetta with a hatchback.

This new sedan is one of VW’s new EVs offered in the Chinese market. It comes with the usual choice of one or two electric motors. The sleek front end is pretty similar to other new VW models offered over there under the “Aura” name. But the whole thing actually looks very conservative and pretty dorky if you ask me. That wave line on the rear fenders seems very old-fashioned and really out of place here.

I guess the hatchback is a plus on a small car, and the EV powertrain probably brings smoothness and quietness. But the whole thing does look like it came out 10 years ago.

Our Jetta is not getting any younger either. The current generation came out back in 2019 in the US. This new Aura sedan is actually a few inches longer than the Jetta. I always wonder if one of these Chinese VW sedan sill end up as a Jetta in North America. We already share the Atlas with the Chinese market; why not a slow-selling sedan?

Amasingly enough, the old Jetta isn’t doing as bad as I though with over 53,000 of them sold last year. I guess a new one could only do better.

Replacing it with an EV would, however, be a huge gamble for VW. Around 22,400 units of the ID.4 were sold in the US last year. And only 2.205 so far this year. I guess quality problems a nd a series of recals aren’t helping the poor thing… We’ll see if the next one does a bit better over here, if it ever shows up.

I guess a new “affordable” VW EV sedan is pretty much out. At least for a while…