Is this Volkswagen’s way forward? ‘Affordable’ new EV previewed with simplistic design

Volkswagen will be aiming to rekindle the spirit of iconic affordable cars like the Beetle and Golf with this new ‘people’s car’ for the electric era.

What you see here is our first peek at a concept car that will spawn an affordable new electric car in 2027, and it’s not to be confused with the ID.2all.

The latter is expected to debut in Europe in 2026 as a Polo-sized electric vehicle (EV) with a starting price of around 25,000 euro (R482,000).

But 2027 will see the debut of an even cheaper battery model, which has a targeted base price of 20,000 euro (R385,400).

“Low-cost entry-level mobility in the electric era will be one of the cornerstones of the brand’s future plan,” Volkswagen said on Wednesday, at the presentation of its three-stage passenger car brand plan up to 2030.

The teaser image of the upcoming concept car shows a further evolution of Volkswagen’s new design language, based on the pillars of “stability, likeability and enthusiasm” while also presenting a “friendly face” and a sense of “timeless elegance”. Which sounds very much like the brand is going back to its roots, if they get it right.

Technical details remain under wraps, but the new entry EV will share a modified evolution of the modular MEB platform for battery cars with its ID2all sibling, which will be the first front-wheel drive model to use this architecture - remember, the ID.3 is rear-wheel drive.

The German car firm is also planning an all-electric successor to the Golf, which will be underpinned by a brand new architecture called the Scalable Systems Platform (SSP).

Volkswagen’s 2030 strategy comes in the wake of recent standoffs with its staff over radical cost-cutting plans announced in October. Among these was the closure of three German plants, while tens of thousands of employees stood to lose their jobs.

In late December, however, the firm reportedly struck a deal with its biggest union, averting plant closures but cutting up to 35,000 jobs in a “socially responsible manner” by 2030, while also removing bonus payments and gradually scaling back production.

Volkswagen said the deal with its workers' union includes “binding targets” and measures agreed to reach them.

There has also been widespread speculation that the struggling German factories could end up sharing space with Chinese brands.

IOL