This year will be one of most significant in Volkswagen's history, according to company bosses.
Speaking this morning in Wolfsburg, Germany, chief operating officer Ralf Brandstätter said a 'New Volkswagen’ would be born.
Not only will the production version of the new ID electric hatchback be launched at the Frankfurt show in September, but also the Mk8 Golf will be unveiled just a few weeks later. Volkswagen will also be launching the T-Cross in May this year and a five-seat compact SUV for the US market.
The company also predicts that 80% of all its vehicles globally will be based on the MQB platform, which was first used in 2012.
Volkswagen says it wants to be the world’s "number one brand in e-mobility" and expects to be building 1 million battery electric vehicles (BEVs) by 2025. The company claims that its new BEV production plant in Zwickau, Germany will ensure that the entire ID production process is CO2-neutral.
It says the battery cells will be manufactured with "green electricity" and that Zwickau will also use this to manufacture the ID itself, while all ID models will be recycled at the end of their working lives.
Zwickau, which has received a €1.2 billion (£1.0bn) investment, will have a capacity of 350,000 cars a year by 2021 and eventually produce six different models for the Volkswagen, Skoda and Audi brands.
The entry-level ID will cost just under €30,000 (£25,800 today). A version with a range of 340 miles will also be offered, but Volkswagen hasn’t yet stated a price for this model.
Pre-orders for the ID will begin on 8 May and shipments will start at the end of the year. It and the new Golf will be connected to Volkswagen's new We network ecosystem, wherein all vehicles will be given a registered identity, allowing Volkswagen to have direct contact with individual drivers.
Join the debate
Add your comment
That Passat is looking a bit
That Passat is looking a bit long in the tooth, VW are focusing on their SUVs while wondering why old saloons don't sell. (They withdrew the Jetta a few years ago, a car based on the Golf previous to the outgoing model)
Autocar
"The entry-level ID will cost just under €30,000 (£25,800 today)."
What's happened to the sub-£18,000 ID car then?...that you reported just yesterday!!!
https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/volkswagen’s-sub-£18000-ev-spawn-family-models
Have I mis-read something?
Did always appear doubtful
That being said, WAG has more brand names - thus perhaps a cheaper version of the same car shall be available under a different brand name, however unlikely as cheap as 18K.
All Marketing Hype
Volkswagen's most important year will always be 1938 when the first 'People's Cars' rolled off the production line.