Volkswagen has expanded its affordable electric vehicle offering this year with two new models, the ID. Polo subcompact hatchback and the ID. Cross subcompact crossover.
These new models seem to be a big success so far as Volkswagen Group has received almost 150,000 orders for its Electric Urban Car Family, which also includes the Cupra Raval and Skoda Epiq, all of which are based on the MEB+ platform.
VW’s $22,500 EV May Be Named ID. Up
Volkswagen
But there’s still room below these models—the ID. Polo starts at €25,000 ($28,000) and the ID. Cross starts at €28,000 ($31,400)—and Volkswagen knows it. That’s why a more affordable model is in the works, and it’s coming in a few months in Europe.
We’re talking about the production version of the ID. Every1 concept city car, which is expected to have a base price of €20,000 (the equivalent of around $22,500 at the current exchange rate).
Volkswagen
The new EV was initially expected to adopt the ID.1 badge, but it looks like Volkswagen has had a change of heart and will go for the ID.Up name instead. According to Electrifying, Volkswagen brand boss Thomas Schäfer has confirmed that the production version of the ID. Every1 concept “will not be called the VW ID.1 or VW ID. Every1.”
While he stopped short of confirming the car’s actual name, he would neither confirm nor deny when Electrifying suggested that it might be called the VW ID. Up. Naming the electric city car like this would be consistent with Volkswagen’s recent electric models that received names derived from established ICE models, such as the ID. Polo and ID. Tiguan. The ID. Up name would also establish it as a successor to the e-Up! electric city car.
ID. Up to Bridge the Gap Between the Old e-Up! and New ID. Polo
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Schäfer recently said the ID. Every1 coming next year is “the last piece of the puzzle” as the automaker will then offer broad model lineup in the volume segment.
The new ID. Up will help Volkswagen fend off fierce competition from Chinese automakers, which have taken the European market by storm, achieving almost 15% market share in September. It will also enable VW to compete with electric city cars like the Renault Twingo, the new Dacia Spring, and the new BYD Dolphin Surf.
At 153 inches (3,880 mm) long, the ID. Up will bridge the gap between the former e-Up! (142 in) and the new ID. Polo (160 in). Despite its tiny footprint, Volkswagen said the ID. Up would offer space for four passengers and 10.8 cubic feet (305 liters) of cargo space.
A 37-kWh LFP Battery and Rivian Infotainment Software
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While the automaker has not revealed any battery details yet, the ID. Up is expected to use the same 37-kilowatt-hour LFP pack as the base ID. Polo and ID. Cross. In the ID. Polo, this battery enables a driving range of up to 207 miles (334 km). For the ID. Up, VW has promised at least 155 miles (250 km) of range and a new 70 kW (94 hp) electric motor expected to enable a top speed of 80 mph (130 km/h).
The new ID. Up will also be the first Volkswagen to feature Rivian software. Schäfer told Electrifying that the infotainment system’s functionality “has been developed with the consumer, to find out what they like, what they need in life, and from that it’s translated into functions. It starts with the customer, and so it makes the whole system easier to use.”
Volkswagen
The system is said to have a simplified setup that uses fewer ECUs and less wiring to achieve the same job, saving money and weight while also allowing for better over-the-air software updates.
The new ID. Up will be built in Portugal, at the Palmela plant near Setubal. The site, which is also known as Autoeuropa, currently builds the T-Roc crossover. As with the ID. Polo and ID. Cross, the ID. Up won’t make it to the United States either.
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