Full range of cheap EVs to come from VW Group

THE ID. 2all will lead an affordable EV charge by Volkswagen, as the firm aims to catch up with the likes of Peugeot and Vauxhall by introducing a range of small zero-emissions cars by the second half of the decade.

Alongside the new concept, VW has announced that a baby SUV, using the same MEB Entry platform and almost certainly the same 38kWh and 56kWh battery packs as the ID. 2all, will arrive in 2026. It will be one of four MEB Entry cars built at the VW Group plant in Barcelona; the others will be the roadgoing version of the Cupra UrbanRebel and an as-yet-unseen small Skoda SUV.

The company has also confirmed that it is pairing up with Skoda to work on a project, first outlined in Auto Express (Issue 1,745), to produce an even more affordable EV, with a price tag of less than 20,000 Euros (£17,500). This car could conceivably use the smaller of the ID. 2all’s batteries, the 38kWh set-up that’s based on cheaper lithium-iron phosphate chemistry.

Speaking to Auto Express, VW brand CEO Thomas Schäfer said that there is already demand for the cheaper model, but that significant challenges remain in building it to the right cost. “It has to happen pretty quickly,” he said. “We’re looking at 2026 or 2027. We have four working teams on that project and they present to me every week; I’m giving them lots of pressure.”

Schäfer admitted that while the ID. 2all and its sister vehicles can all be produced in Europe, it may prove difficult to do the same with models priced at up to £5,000 less. “It’s debatable if we can do that [make them in Europe],” he said. “I think we probably can, but it will take a little bit of ingenuity to get it done. And we haven’t quite solved this riddle yet.”