Volkswagen reveals the ID.1 concept car, which will spawn its cheapest all-electric model to date
- Designed for sale in Europe, the ID.EVERY1 will start at around €20,000
- It’s slightly smaller than the VW Polo but offers the same room
- A range of 155 miles and a top speed of 80mph has been proposed
Volkswagen teased its tiny, affordable electric city car last month, when it released a series of gloomy images that hinted at a sportier, more aggressive EV to kickstart its line-up of battery-powered passenger cars.
Dubbed the ID.EVERY1 (we know, it’s a terrible name), the show car has now been revealed in all its boxy, flared-arch glory.
Standing at 3,880mm in length, it measures slightly longer than the old Up! (3,600mm) and is designed to sit between the upcoming ID.2all and the current Polo.
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Aside from making us want to start a petition against utterly ridiculous vehicle names, the ID.EVERY1 looks slick, with animated front and rear lamps “welcoming” owners, lower front bumpers that offer a “smile” and massive 19-inch wheels that are engulfed by chunky, flared wheel arches.
It certainly moves the game on from the slightly weedy-looking Up! or yesteryear and it offers more interior roominess, too, with space for four people and a luggage compartment volume of 305 liters.
“A secret sauce element is the roof drawn in in the middle, as is usually known from sports cars,” says Volkswagen Head of Design Andreas Mindt.
Although this is a show car and isn’t the model that will make it on sale, VW has said that the concept reaches a top speed of 130 km/h (80mph) and is powered by a “newly developed” electric motor with 70 kW (95hp). The range is at least 250 kilometers – or around 155 miles in old money.
Very much aimed at the affordable small city car segment, which is currently dominated by things like the Fiat 500e, or the even cheaper Dacia Spring and recently-announced Leapmotor T03, it is designed to offer low-cost motoring without scrimping on VW’s reputation for quality.
Made “in Europe for Europe”, the ID.1 – as we hope it will be badged – will start at around €20,000, or around £17,000 in the UK ($21,600 roughly converted).
This will see it kick off a range of nine new models by 2027 including the production version of the ID.2all and updated versions of the ID.3, ID.4 and ID.5.
VW gets back to doing what it does best
Despite the fact that the ID.EVERY1 will likely change considerably for this funky looking concept, it already boasts a number of neat and convenient features that help it stand out from the current crowd of basic, budget EVs.
There’s a large central infotainment system, complete with a neat row of physical buttons below that inside. The two-spoke steering wheel is also festooned with multi-function buttons that ensure not everything is committed to a fiddly touchscreen display.
Volkswagen also says that the front passenger side of the dash panel is designed to be ‘variable’. In essence, designers have created a dedicated rail that allow things, such as a tablet or a tray table, to be snapped into place.
The concept images also appear to show a small speaker system that can be clicked into place in the center console – or presumably removed and used as a Bluetooth sound system when picnicking or partying outside.
Taking a leaf out of Kia’s recent design book, the center console can also be used as an arm rest, or slid backwards and offered up as a handy stowage space for rear passengers.
Practical, useable and stylish, the ID.1 will hope to mimic the success of the long-standing Polo, perhaps not in the epic sales numbers but in the fact that it can introduce a fresh new audience to the brand with good looks, a modern interior and an attractive price.
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Designed for sale in Europe, the ID.EVERY1 will start at around €20,000 It’s slightly smaller than the VW Polo but offers the same room A range of 155 miles and a top speed of 80mph has been proposed Volkswagen teased its tiny, affordable electric city car last month, when it…
