Volkswagen has vowed to realise its long-held goal of an ‘affordable’ £17,000 electric car in 2027 with the arrival of the production version of the new ID Every1 concept car.
Described by Volkswagen as a model “from Europe for Europe”, the new car will serve as the spiritual successor to the Up as an A-segment city car and become the entry point to the German firm’s range of bespoke electric ID models. Volkswagen boss Thomas Schäfer has described the model, which will be part of the firm’s new Electric Urban Car Family, as “the last piece of the puzzle” in its mass market line-up, adding: "this is the car the world has been waiting for."
The production version of the ID Every1 will sit on a modified version of the new front-wheel-drive MEB Entry platform, which has been developed for the forthcoming ID 2, ID 2X, Cupra Raval and Skoda Epiq. Those models will all be built at the Seat factory in Martorell, Spain, with prices for the ID 2 starting from around £21,000 (€25,000).
Volkswagen development chief Kai Grünitz said the front end of the machine from the front wheel to the A-pillar is largely the sam as the ID 2all concept, but it then uses a different, smaller battery and has a shorter wheelbase. It also features a new rear axle, which is based on that used in the current Polo.
The ID Every1 features what is described as a newly developed electric motor that produces 94bhp and gives the car a claimed top speed of 81mph. Volkswagen has provided no details of the battery capacity or what chemistry it will use but claims the model will offer a range of “at least” 155 miles.
It will also be the first Volkswagen Group model to benefit from a new software architecture that has been developed through a new joint venture with American EV start-up Rivian.
For comparison with the cheapest EVs currently on sale in the UK, the Dacia Spring is priced from £14,995 and offers 44bhp and a range of 140 miles, while the £15,940 Leapmotor T03 produces 94bhp and offers 165 miles. Meanwhile, Volkswagen has previously said the ID 2 will offer 223bhp and around 280 miles.
Design and styling
The ID Every1 concept is likely to serve as a close preview of how the production car will look. It has chunky, upright proportions that evoke the Up. Volkswagen design chief Andreas Mindt said the goal was to create a car that offered “character and an identity that people can relate to”.
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Pleasant looking, but quite dull.
At first this appeared a rather bland soft edged wee box, but look closer, very short front and rear overhangs (MINI this should be how it's done), slght bulge in the wheel arches, and yes OK it's not an UP! but that was an astounding piece of design that could have come out of the Apple Studios... I like it as long as Ford don't call it the new Fiesta, though with respect - with a proper font and rear tuck I would be happy with that. Cheers the MINI Clubvan owner...
I like the body shape, the silhouette, tight overhangs. I really like the rear. But it appears VW are persisting with previous I.D styling cues, giving the headlights a ’sly’ eye expression to give the face a sense of attitude. This has always reminded me of Sonic the hedgehogs sly expression. It makes VW cars look cocky, or mean. Maybe that’s the intention. I always thought the genius of VW design was that they didn’t do attitude. That was the point. They did congruence. It made everyone else look slightly desperate and insecure. The headlights have some brilliant technology where VW Audi did pioneering R&D work over the past 20 years. It’s this area where they still seem to be slightly ahead of their rivals. But what was the last great piece of Volkswagen styling? The UP. After the UP, something terrible happened. Having said all of this, I thought the recent ID.2 concept (or next polo) looked really good.