New Volkswagen ID 2 EV tipped for 15 March reveal

Volkswagen is expected to uncover its ID 2 municipality electrical car successful an lawsuit connected 15 March, successful which the marque volition item its caller plan connection and aboriginal plans.

Autocar antecedently reported that the long-awaited EV, which has been wholly redesigned wrong and out, is acceptable to beryllium previewed by a caller conception car this month. The event’s societal media tag (#VWforthepeople) suggests Volkswagen is present acceptable to show the revised mass-market hatchback.

Scheduled to spell connected merchantability successful 2025 astatine a targeted basal terms of €22,500 (£19,970) successful today’s money, the compact five-seater is being lined up to get the Golf name, according to Wolfsburg insiders. 

Autocar sources person besides confirmed that the Volkswagen ID 2 volition beryllium the archetypal VW based connected the MEB-Plus level – an updated mentation of today’s wide utilized MEB electrical car operation that features caller LFP (lithium robust phosphate) prismatic artillery cells and charging speeds of up to 200kW, among different developments. 

Nothing is authoritative astatine this stage, but Autocar has been told that a fig of antithetic naming combinations for the accumulation mentation of the ID 2 person been projected successful interior meetings successful caller months, including the ID Golf nomenclature archetypal alluded to by Volkswagen CEO Thomas Schäfer successful an interrogation with Autocar successful October 2022. 

At the time, Schäfer, who took power of Volkswagen successful July aft his predecessor, Ralf Brandstätter, was appointed to caput up the company’s Chinese operations, said: “The Golf sanction has immense value. The designation it receives astatine [customer] clinics – radical perfectly recognize what we are talking about. So to alteration the sanction to thing wholly antithetic doesn’t marque sense.” 

The archetypal suggestions were that the Golf sanction whitethorn beryllium reserved for the Volkswagen ID 3 facelift. However, this was denied by Autocar sources, who said “the existent worth of the Volkswagen Golf lies successful a car the size of the ID 2”.

In spot of the arguable crossover plan previewed by the VW ID Life concept astatine the 2020 Munich centrifugal show, the heavy revised VW ID 2 is acceptable to person a much accepted hatchback signifier developed by a squad of designers nether the guidance of Volkswagen’s caller plan boss, Andreas Mindt. 

The determination comes aft what has been described to Autocar arsenic a “less than lukewarm” reception to the archetypal crossover plan – developed by Mindt’s predecessor, Jozef Kaban – by Schäfer and Volkswagen’s caller absorption team. 

After overmuch interior statement implicit the archetypal plan of the upcoming price-leading EV, Kaban was asked to measurement aside. He had been Volkswagen’s plan brag since 2020 and has present go the firm’s caller originative creation director. 

The determination to supply the caller car with a hatchback signifier comes aft Cupra revealed that the ID 2’s sibling model, the Urban Rebel, volition person a akin styling treatment. 

The 2 models are owed to beryllium produced astatine Seat’s Martorell mill adjacent Barcelona arsenic indirect replacements for the Volkswagen Up and Seat Mii. A likewise conceived exemplary from Skoda atop the aforesaid architecture is besides planned to get astatine a aboriginal date. 

Those privy to the aboriginal proposals of the redesigned ID 2 accidental it sits halfway betwixt the existing interior combustion-engined Volkswagen Polo and Golf successful presumption of exterior dimensions, with a magnitude enactment astatine “around 4250mm”. 

With a comparatively abbreviated bonnet and level floor, it is claimed to connection “the benignant of interior abstraction of models typically 1 conception higher”. Strong links to the fourth-generation Golf are made by Volkswagen insiders successful notation to the caller model. 

One root told Autocar: “We person large contented and merchandise spot successful this segment. It is not a full caller opening but a logical continuation of what Volkswagen has excelled astatine successful the past, albeit with electrical drive.” 

At this aboriginal stage, the ID 2 is acceptable to beryllium offered successful single-motor, front-wheel-drive signifier only. However, Volkswagen sources contacted by Autocar corroborate the MEB-Plus level volition enactment dual-motor, 4 wheel-drive models and accidental specified a configuration cannot beryllium ruled retired successful the future. 

“It volition beryllium comparatively lightweight by electrical car standards, determination betwixt 1600kg and 1700kg,” Autocar has been told. In a further important move, Schäfer has besides fixed the motion for a instrumentality of the GTI badge. It is acceptable to regenerate the GTX exemplary sanction archetypal introduced connected the Volkswagen ID 4 successful 2020, paving the mode for the archetypal afloat electrical Volkswagen Golf GTI. 

“The GTX is dead,” a elder root revealed to Autocar. “A determination has already been made to regenerate it with the accepted GTI sanction and it is being considered for the ID 2.” 

The operation of front-wheel-drive and the GTI sanction references a lineage that harks backmost to the archetypal Golf GTI, introduced successful 1976. Although a last determination connected whether it volition beryllium applied to the accumulation mentation of the ID 2 has not yet been made, suggestions are that a further conception of the caller electrical exemplary featuring diagnostic GTI styling cues could beryllium revealed astatine the yearly Wörthersee GTI instrumentality conscionable successful Austria successful May or, alternatively, the ID instrumentality conscionable successful Locarno, Switzerland, successful September. 

Cupra’s unveiling of the Urban Rebel successful 2022 provides coagulated clues to the attack Volkswagen is acceptable to instrumentality with an electrical Golf GTI. Fitted with a front-mounted electrical motor, the astir almighty mentation of the caller entry-level Cupra exemplary is claimed to present 223bhp and execute 0-62mph successful 6.9sec. A akin drivetrain is expected for its Volkswagen sibling model. 

By comparison, today’s petrol Golf GTI is fitted with a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol motor with 245bhp and has a 0-62mph clip of 6.2sec. 

Along with its caller hatchback bodystyle, the reborn ID 2 besides adopts a new-look interior with seating for up to 5 successful a compartment claimed to connection akin abstraction to today’s MQB-platform-based Golf. 

Additional changes centre connected the MIB infotainment system. They see the proviso for a rotary controller wrong a heavy revised centre console – a improvement that volition initially look connected the third-generation Volkswagen Tiguan, which is owed to beryllium unveiled aboriginal this year. 

The rotary controller, a archetypal for a Volkswagen, is intended to supplement the touchscreen controls fitted to existent Volkswagen models. It is designed to regenerate the slider mechanics archetypal introduced connected the ID 3 successful 2020. 

The sweeping changes made to the ID 2 are portion of a “comprehensive reset” for the Volkswagen marque and its ID electrical car strategy nether Schäfer.

Together with the babe EV’s redesign, the caller Volkswagen CEO has besides ordered a thorough reworking of the company’s Project Trinity, a caller showcase exemplary whose improvement began nether the enactment of Volkswagen’s erstwhile CEO, Herbert Diess. 

Schäfer is understood to person had reservations astir the Project Trinity’s liftback-style saloon plan and Volkswagen designers are present moving to found it arsenic a crossover-style exemplary successful the mould of the Tesla Model Y. The changes to the ID 2 and Project Trinity travel arsenic Schäfer – who headed up Volkswagen’s South African operations earlier becoming president of Skoda anterior to being appointed CEO astatine Volkswagen – instigates a much product-driven concern civilization astatine Volkswagen than his predecessor Diess, who was known for his absorption connected costcutting and profitability. 

“It’s a equilibrium but, successful the end, it is the merchandise that we are judged upon,” a root revealed to Autocar. “With the changes taking place, we privation to get backmost to a presumption of spot with caller cars reflecting accepted Volkswagen qualities and with names that volition beryllium acquainted to long-time customers and different caller car buyers alike.” 

Earlier speculation that Volkswagen was preparing to nutrient the ID 2 successful China, astatine a mill operated with joint-venture spouse JAC, has been dismissed by the caput of the company’s Chinese operations, Brandstätter. 

Speaking to Chinese media, helium said: “Volkswagen plans to motorboat the ID 7 saloon successful China, arsenic good arsenic a caller exemplary beneath the ID 4… It won’t beryllium the ID 2.”

Why ex-Bentley decorator is designing caller entry-level VW EV

Newly appointed VW plan main Andreas Mindt has signifier erstwhile it comes to designing innovatively packaged hatchbacks atop the MEB platform.

Before his stint astatine Bentley, helium was main decorator astatine Audi, wherever 1 of his last sign-offs was the future-looking AI:ME concept, a Volkswagen ID 3 equivalent devised chiefly for carsharing services. 

“Urban cars each look similar telephone boxes, and we didn’t privation a instrumentality similar that,” helium told Autocar astatine its unveiling, hinting astatine an affinity for individuality that is apt to transportation done to the ID 2.