Volkswagen ID Every1 previews £17k city car for 2027

There are large LED headlights and a rounded front end that, Mindt said, is intended to make the car friendly and likeable through “a slightly cheeky smile”. The front and rear badges are illuminated.

The concept features sculpted wheel arches and 19in wheels while, as is typical for an EV, the axles have been pushed to the vehicle's extremities to maximise interior space. The relatively simple silhouette and side bodywork is intended to give the car a “timeless” and “classless” design, according to Mindt.

As with the ID 2all, the ID Every1’s design features a number of nods to VW’s heritage. In particular, the rear C-pillar has been designed to evoke that of the first-generation Golf.

Mindt has spoken of wanting every Volkswagen model he designs to offer a “secret sauce” that helps imbue the vehicle with character. In the case of the ID Every1, Mindt cites the lowered middle section of the roof, a design concept he claimed is borrowed from sports cars. Other ‘secret sauce’ elements include the integrated third brake light in the roof recess and the new designs for the 19in alloy wheels.

The ID Every1 is 3880mm long, which places it between the Up (3600mm) and Polo (4074mm). The ID2all concept that will sit above it in VW’s future electric line-up measures 4050mm.

Volkswagen describes the ID Every1 as a four-seater and says it also offers a 305-litre boot – a substantial increase on the 251 litres offered by the Up. 

The interior of the ID Every1 features a simple design with a prominent-looking dashboard. While the dash is dominated by a centrally mounted touchscreen, it is notable that there are physical buttons for the temperature, heating and volume controls below it.

The steering wheel is a squared-off two-spoke affair. Meanwhile, the front passenger has access to a variable multi-purpose panel to which different items, such as a tablet or shelf, can be attached. A removable Bluetooth speaker is located between the driver and passenger. The centre console is similar to that offered in the ID Buzz and is mounted on a rail so that it can be slid from the front to the rear compartment. It also features pull-out shelving.

ID 1’s software focus

Volkswagen development chief Grünitz said the production version of the ID Every1 will be a “customer-defined vehicle” – a phrase evoking the ‘software-defined vehicle’ term that reflects the car industry’s increasing push towards vehicles designed around their computing architecture.

The ID 1 will be the first model in the Volkswagen Group to use a “fundamentally new” zonal software architecture from the firm's new joint venture with American EV start-up Rivian. That new system is based on the existing software used in the Rivian R1T pick-up and R1S SUV, and is intended to be highly flexible, so it can be stripped back for the ID 1 with extra zones added for more premium models to make the software run faster and add extra features.

"The main benefit is that it's highly flexible and updatable," said Grünitz. "We see that with Rivian models on the road today, which can be updated with new functions for customers on a regular basis without the need to touch them. It's really the next step."

Grünitz did not rule out offering functions as paid-for extras that can be downloaded using software, but said that "we don't need that" to hit the ID 1's planned £17,000 target price, adding: "we are not shooting in that direction today."