Volkswagen Will Go Toe-To-Toe With Tesla’s Sub-$25k EV

Over the next few years, Volkswagen’s electric ID. range will expand significantly beyond the ID.3 hatchback and the ID.4 crossover. By 2030, VW wants to increase its share of the EV market by as much as 70 percent in Europe and 50 percent in the US and China.

To achieve this, VW will launch at least one fully electric model every year between now and 2030, starting with the all-wheel-drive ID.4 GTX in the first half of 2021, followed by the ID.5 coupe SUV in the second half of the year. After this, VW will launch a seven-seater electric SUV called the ID.6 X/Crozz exclusively for the Chinese market this fall.

Slotting below the ID.3 will be a new affordable EV that will reportedly be called the ID.1. Originally slated to launch in 2023, the ID.1 will now launch in 2025.

VW didn’t divulge any more details, but previous reports have claimed the ID.1 will be a compact electric city car rivaling the likes of the Mini Cooper SE and Honda E with similar proportions to the e-Up electric hatchback. Visually, the ID.1 will allegedly incorporate styling cues borrowed from the ID.3 to keep the ID. design language consistent, so expect it to sport the same slim LED headlights and a full-width light bar. An ID.2 is also reportedly in development as an electric alternative to the VW Polo, but this hasn’t been confirmed by VW.

VW’s electric city car is expected to be sold for less than €20,000 ($23,757), making it one of the most affordable EVs on the market and a formidable rival to Tesla’s entry-level $25,000-car. Like other ID. models, the ID.1 will be underpinned by VW’s Modular Electric Drive, which will be optimized to improve the acceleration, charging capacity, and range.

Since VW doesn’t sell the ID.3 in the US, it seems unlikely that the ID.1 and ID.2 will be offered in America. On the opposite end of the spectrum, VW is working on Project Trinity, a new flagship SUV launching in 2026 that was teased for the first time last week with Level 4 autonomous driving technology and a new scalable platform.