Last year, Ars visited Volkswagen's factory in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where the company was preparing to begin local production of its ID.4 electric crossover. That factory is now up to speed, and VW is making good on its promise to make a cheaper ID.4, made possible by a smaller battery pack.

It's a tried-and-true approach by automakers, as the higher margins on better-equipped models help offset the high costs of putting a new model into production.

The new model is called the ID.4 Standard, and it keeps the same 201-hp (150-kW) electric motor driving the rear wheels as the ID.4 Pro or the ID.4 First Edition we tested in April 2021. But instead of that car's 82 kWh pack, the ID.4 Standard makes do with a 62 kWh pack (gross capacity—unfortunately, VW hasn't shared net capacity).

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That cuts the EV's price by $5,000 compared to the ID.4 Pro, so the ID.4 Standard starts at $37,495 before the $7,500 federal tax credit or other incentives. But a smaller battery means a shorter range, of course, so the ID.4 Standard makes do with an EPA range estimate of 208 miles (335 km) compared to 275 miles (443 km) for the ID.4 Pro.

The smaller battery pack is also available in the ID.4 S trim, which starts at $42,495 before tax credits and features more standard equipment like powered seats, a panoramic roof, and LED headlights. However, there doesn't appear to be an option to get the smaller battery pack with an AWD twin-motor powertrain.

But for model year 2023, all ID.4s have had some styling tweaks, more advanced driver assistance systems, and a 12-inch infotainment screen. (We'll have to spend time with one to see if it remains as laggy as the infotainment in previous ID.4s.)

VW says that Chattanooga-assembled ID.4s should be in dealerships this fall.