Volkswagen will reveal a new concept next month which previews a £17k electric car to succeed the Up.
The new entry-level model, to be previewed by a show car early next month, is due to enter production in 2027 with a base price of "about €20,000", Volkswagen said, making it "attractive for a wide variety of user groups".
Known as the ID 1, the new Up successor is expected to share its fundamental platform with the Volkswagen Polo-sized ID 2 (a shortened 'Entry' version of the Volkswagen Group's modular MEB platform), but no technical details have yet been confirmed.
The first preview image suggests the new city car will have chunky, upright proportions and a distinctive new visage incorporating Volkswagen's new-look LED lighting signatures.
Volkswagen CEO Thomas Schäfer celebrated the new car's unveiling as a pivotal moment for the company: "An affordable, high-quality, and profitable electric Volkswagen from Europe for Europe: that's the Champions League of automotive engineering!”
It isn't yet confirmed whether the ID 1 will be built in Spain by the Volkswagen Group, alongside the ID 2 and its 'ID 2 X' crossover sibling, the Skoda Epiq compact SUV and the more sporting Cupra Raval.
Volkswagen technical development boss Kai Grünitz has previously suggested the new entry model will be an obvious successor to the successful Up city car in its conception, and will share some design elements and attributes.
“The 'ID 1' will be close to the Up regarding the usage of that car," he said. "There aren't so many possibilities to design a small vehicle for cities in terms of what it looks like. It will be a car that fits into the Volkswagen brand design DNA and functionality DNA but at a lower price.”
Grünitz stopped short of categorically confirming the return of the Up badge, but Volkswagen places great value on its longest-running and most successful names. Golf, Passat and Tiguan are all due to be retained in the EV era, with the suggestion that the brand’s numerical naming strategy for its ID EVs could be retired.
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VW late to the game as always!
The only way VW will make in roads to this sector is to bring something to market around the £15-16k mark, beyond this there are many other better options forJoe Public to get interested about
2027, why do VW take so long to react to or predict the market, Renault must be laughing at them.
You're not wrong, there'll be a whole host of Ranault 4 & 5's along with the Grande Panda parked outside people's flats & houses by the time this comes out.
You just think about things differently with an EV.