VW's affordable EV gets modern look after retro styling is ditched

HAMBURG -- Volkswagen's ID 2all demonstrates how the brand has rethought its vision for an affordable small battery-electric car

The concept, which was unveiled here on Wednesday, drops the retro look of the ID Life unveiled in 2021 for a more traditional design in keeping with the rest of VW brand's passenger models.

VW aims to bring the starting price of the ID2's production version below 25,000 euros ($26,800), VW brand CEO Thomas Schaefer said.

He said economies of scale and building the car in Spain, where wages are relatively low, will help to keep costs down. The production ID 2 will have three siblings -- another VW brand small EV, a Cupra version and a Skoda variant.

The four EVs will use a shortened version of the MEB electric platform, which underpins the larger VW ID3 and ID4, along with Skoda and Audi compact EVs.

Schaefer said VW also plans to add an EV that costs less than 20,000 euros but developing such a model will be a "bigger challenge" than getting the ID2 to market.

"The ID2all not only gives a preview of our first electric car under 25,000 euros, but also of our new design language," Schaefer said.

The concept is 4050 mm long, similar to the length of a combustion-driven Polo small-segment car, but it has a large 490 liter trunk, compared with the Polo's 351 liters.

The battery pack gives the concept a range of about 450 km (304 miles), according to VW, which did not disclose the size of the battery.

VW said the ID 2all accelerates from 0 to 100 kph (62 mph) in less than 7 seconds and a fast-charging system capable of boosting the battery from 10 percent to 80 percent in 20 minutes.

Inside, the ID 2all addresses concerns voiced by customers about the ID3's screen-led approach to controls. The concept includes separate, illuminated buttons for the air conditioner as well as a button to control the volume of the radio that is accessible to both the driver and the passenger.

VW also said the car's interior had a "high-quality appearance."

Stability, likeability, excitement

The ID 2all was styled by VW brand's new design head, Andreas Mindt, who succeeded the creator of the ID Life concept, Jozef Kaban, in February.

The ID Life's chunky, retro styling was disliked by Schaefer who demanded a design in keeping with VW brand's more conventional looks, sources told Automotive News Europe sister publication Automobilwoche.

VW's new design language is based on the three cornerstones of stability, likeability and enthusiasm, Mindt said.

The "stability" element was partly visualized by the concept's striking C-pillar, which Mindt said was inspired by the original VW Golf.

"We are transferring the DNA of our icons into the future," Mindt said. The Golf's distinctive C-pillar is the "backbone of Volkswagen design," he said.

"Likeability" was addressed by the rising elements of the front grille, which is said to create "a confident smile."

The MEB Entry platform used by the concept has a front-wheel-drive configuration, rather than the rear-wheel-drive system used by current MEB-based entry models. The concept also uses a 223-hp electric motor.

The ID 2all is well equipped for a small car, with a 12.9-inch touchscreen, a digital driver display, a head-up display and VW's Travel Assist, with semi-autonomous driving functions.

"MEB's scale effects let us inexpensively integrate technologies from higher classes" into the new concept, Kai Grünitz, VW head of development, said in a statement.

EV offensive

VW said the production version of the ID2 will be one of 10 new models it will launch by 2026. The lineup includes the upcoming long-wheelbase version of the ID Buzz minivan, the ID7 midsize sedan and the upgraded ID3.

The brand also announced a new compact electric crossover due in 2026, expected to be badged the ID Tiguan.

VW is building a battery cell plant in Spain to produce battery cells for small EVs, The plant in Sagunto on the outskirts of Valencia will supply cells to VW Group's car plants in Martorell and Pamplona.