Renault 5 Prototype ©Renault
With the energy transition, car manufacturers are now facing two major challenges: the deadline of 2035, from which they will no longer be able to sell thermal vehicles in Europe, and the influx of new inexpensive Chinese models. This is why several compact vehicle projects offered below the symbolic bar of 25,000 euros will soon see the light of day. Because currently, apart from the Dacia Spring, the Renault Twingo E-Tech, which can be considered as “low-cost” vehicles, or the standard Chinese MG4, the entry ticket to access a car electricity requires a budget of nearly 30,000 euros, once the ecological bonus has been deducted. And we are talking here about compact models like the Peugeot e-208 or the Renault Zoé. If you want to buy a sedan or an SUV, then the bill can climb much higher.
Volkswagen ID.2all: “technology at an affordable price”
Faced with the upcoming Chinese offensive, manufacturers must release models that are both efficient and reliable, but also accessible. Several affordable compact projects, with a first entry price below 25,000 euros are now on the right track. With car manufacturers, everything usually starts with a concept car. This is the case at Volkswagen, which has just presented its new ID concept. 2all, prefiguring its future electric compact, expected by 2025.
The idea here is to offer a car as spacious as a Golf and as affordable as a Polo. There is therefore no question of releasing a model at a discount, since the ID.2all will be equipped with many high-tech features such as the driving assistant (Travel Assist), for partially automated driving, or even LED lights. who know how to adapt their intensity and range to each situation (IQ.Light technology). It will also be the very first model from the new front-wheel drive “MEB Entry” electric modular platform. Volkswagen announces the presence of a 166 kW (226 hp) electric motor, powered by a battery with a capacity of 56 kWh. The advertised autonomy is 450 km (WLTP mixed cycle) and the 0 to 100 km/h is achieved in 7 seconds. The €25,000 price tag for this ID.2all could be a bargain in the compact segment
An electric “Renault 5” that is long overdue
Note that Skoda and Seat, which will benefit from the same platform, will also offer models at a competitive price in the near future. But the Volkswagen group is obviously not the only one working on a 100% electric model that is both efficient and (relatively) inexpensive. Renault, an all-electric pioneer, is on the same wavelength, with a project with strongly nostalgic springs.
It is indeed for Renault to revive the legendary R5. In 2021, the French manufacturer thus unveiled a prototype electric car directly inspired by the R5, distinguished by a neo-retro look, symbolized by a modern treatment of lines, an astonishing light signature and a charging hatch placed under the socket. hood air. The future electric Renault 5 is expected by 2025, at the latest, at a resolutely competitive price, probably under 25,000 euros in its basic version.
Model 2, Model A, Model C… Tesla’s secret project
If the “historic” manufacturers are therefore seeking to lower prices, the same applies to the emblematic Tesla. A Tesla at only 25,000 dollars (about the same in euros) could indeed soon see the light of day. This Model 2 (or A, or C, depending on the source) would be a more compact version of the current Model 3, built on the basis of a completely new platform and equipped with a smaller battery. Everything would be produced in the factory in Shanghai, China, the only way for the American manufacturer to really cut prices. Be careful though, this project has not yet been officially confirmed. In the meantime, Tesla is playing with the prices of these existing models, such as the Model 3, which is available at an attractive price but well above 25,000 euros.
MG4 standard: the good deal… in the meantime
While waiting for these new competitive compact models, the Chinese manufacturer MG scores points with its recent MG4. MG has gone from simple exotic outsider to dangerous competitor for traditional brands. In its standard entry-level version, it has an extremely attractive price of €22,990, taking into account the deduction of the ecological bonus of €7,000. Our test allows us to say that it’s a good car, recommendable, provided you deal with its faults (finish, infotainment, charging time). Especially when the competition struggles to match its prices. While waiting for the new generations of compacts at a cannon price. But until then, what will the Chinese brands have in store for us?