AUTONEWS

ID.EVERY1: Volkswagen's cheapest electric car in Europe 

Still licking the wounds left by Dieselgate 10 years ago, Volkswagen has been working on a range of fully electric models of which the ID.3 was the first representative. Specific platform (MEB), differentiated aesthetics and very spacious interiors were its main assets, but the high prices, limited autonomy, lackluster external design and simplistic concept of the panels did not allow sales to be as projected by the German brand. It is also true that it suffered from a market that did not grow as much as it should or could.

The intense meetings on the top floor of the Wolfsburg headquarters building dictated new strategies and new protagonists, one of whom was style director Andy Mindt. This long-time in-house designer was recruited from Bentley to apply a maxim that is valid in many other industries: that without a past, there is no future.

In just a few weeks, the ID.2all prototype was presented, which finally caused enthusiasm both inside and outside Volkswagen, as it reflected the brand's stylistic genes, albeit reinterpreted with the modernity of the electric era.

This will be the electric Volkswagen with an entry price of around 25,000 euros, a model with dimensions similar to those of the Polo, and with an expected arrival date in 2026. The new Volkswagen ID.EVERY1 is smaller (it will take the place of the electric up!) and will use the same front-wheel drive MEB platform as the ID.2all — the other IDs are rear-wheel drive. What these two models have in common is Volkswagen's desire to reach all customers in the future: the names 2All (for everyone) and Every1 (everyone) are self-explanatory.

The objective is to achieve sales volumes with the electric line that are more in line with what is expected from Volkswagen. To give you an idea, the Golf sold 216,000 units in Europe in 2024 and the ID. 3 sold no more than 54,000 units, four times less. We found six Volkswagens with combustion engines in the top 50 best-selling cars in Europe and not one from the ID line.

Part of this commercial flop is, of course, due to the cost of electric propulsion technology, which the Germans want to start changing with the entry price of around 20,000 euros.

And the bet will be strong: by 2027 (in just two years) nine new Volkswagens will be launched, four of which will be compact and based precisely on this front-wheel drive MEB platform.

Volkswagen isn't the only one on a mission to launch affordable electric cars: one of the ID.EVERY1's main competitors will arrive a year earlier: the Renault Twingo.

Compact, but versatile...With a length of 3.88 m, the ID. 1 — which should be the final name of the model —, is positioned between the 3.6 meters of the Up! (production ended in 2023) and the Polo's 4.07 m (ID.2All is 4.05 m). It promises to offer ample space for four adults and a trunk volume of 305 liters.

The short body overhangs, the generous width (1.81 m) and the relatively low glass surface give it an “urban warrior” look. It seduces you right from the start with its traditional shapes and proportions that have been a Volkswagen for decades, which are visible in the position and design of the windscreen and rear window, bumper and rear pillar.

Inside, the dashboard is marked by digital instrumentation in front of the driver's eyes, but not as small or simplistic as in the first IDs and by the large infotainment touchscreen, accompanied by physical buttons for adjusting the temperature and audio system.

The flexibility of this interior is further highlighted by the console between the front seats, which can be used as a normal armrest or be pulled out for use by passengers in the second row, integrating shelves into its structure.

The seats can also assume different positions, be folded or reclined, to serve as wide a range of purposes as possible. For this reason, despite being compact, this model will not lack versatility.

Minimum autonomy? 250 km...From the propulsion system we only know that it is a front-wheel drive car, that the electric motor has an output of 70 kW (95 hp), that the maximum speed will be 130 km/h and that the minimum autonomy will be 250 km. The battery capacity has not yet been disclosed.

The Volkswagen Group will also produce these compact electric cars for its Skoda and CUPRA brands. The project is led by the industrial hub in Spain at the factories in Martorell (where the more conventional five-door models will be made) and Pamplona (crossover assembly lines).

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