Entry-level EV will provide essentials for first-timers and city use
FELIX PAGE
Volkswagen’s upcoming entry-level electric city car, known as the ID 1, will channel the spirit of the Up and could even take its name when it arrives in 2026.
The company confirmed plans for a new entry-level EV last year when it revealed the slightly larger ID 2all concept and is now working to bring it to production within the next three years as a replacement for the Up, which recently went out of production after 12 years on sale.
Revealing that the first design sketches are complete and that development is under way, Volkswagen technical development boss Kai Grünitz suggested it will be an obvious successor to the brand’s successful city car in its conception and inevitably will share some design elements and attributes.
“The ‘ID 1’ will be close to the Up regarding the usage of that car,” said Grünitz. “There are not so many possibilities to design a small vehicle for cities in terms of what it looks like. It will be a car that really fits into the Volkswagen brand design DNA and functionality DNA, but at a lower price.”
He stopped short of categorically confirming the return of the Up badge, but Volkswagen places great value on its longest-running and most successful names. The Golf, Tiguan and Passat names are due to be retained in the EV era and the suggestion is that the brand’s numerical naming strategy for its ID cars could be retired.
Taking into account Volkswagen’s new 36-month vehicle development timeframe, the new entry-level EV should break cover before 2027. Indeed, Grünitz said the wraps will come off “several years before the end of this decade”.
The new car – set to be based on a bespoke platform, distinct from the ID 2’s MEB Entry architecture – will be developed with a rigid focus on keeping costs down. That means it will not have the same levels of advanced autonomy and connectivity functions available in other, more expensive VW models.
“You need a car that really fits the customer demands in that price class. You don’t need high-end technology within these cars,” said Grünitz.
“Maybe you could bring your own device into this car instead of having a huge infotainment system, or something like that,” he added, hinting at the possibility for the Up replacement to feature a smartphone cradle in place of a touchscreen, like i
