Volkswagen has just revealed additional information about the ID. 1. The €20,000 electric city car is designed to replace the e-UP and come directly up against Renault’s future electric Twingo.
To continue to establish itself in the electric car market, Volkswagen intends to diversify its catalog. The idea being in particular to complete its offer by offering affordable models. Of course, the German brand is not the only one to want to do this. From 2024, Renault plans to invest in this segment of electric cars below the 25,000 euro mark with the new R5, without forgetting the future electric Twingo announced at the end of 2023.
Volkswagen’s response to the French manufacturer is already known. Indeed, the automobile giant has already presented the ID. 2 All, an ID concept car. 2 coming in 2026. This electric city car will be priced below 25,000 euros, and should offer a cabin and on-board equipment quite similar to those already found in the reissue of the ID. 3.
But that’s not all since in March 2023, VW also confirmed the development of the ID. 1, its entry-level electric car designed for the city. It is she who will have the heavy responsibility of competing with the electric Twingo, the Citroën ë-C3 and the other representatives of the segment. At the moment, we have very little information on this wattage coming in 2027.
The ID. 1 must replace the e-UP in the catalog, it is confirmed
But thanks to an interview given to our colleagues from the British site Autocar, Volkswagen has just revealed a little about the project. First of all, the firm confirmed that the ID. 1 has for intended to replace the e-UP in its catalog. Nothing surprising in itself, when we know that the place remained vacant after the abandonment of production of the e-UP and its gasoline version in the Bratislava factory (Slovakia) of the manufacturer made official a few weeks ago .
“The ID. 1 will be very close to the Up in spirit and technical characteristics. There are not many possibilities in the design of a small urban vehicle in terms of design. It will be a car that fits into the design and functionality DNA of the Volkswagen brand, but at a lower price,” explains Kai Grünitz, head of technical development at VW.
To stay at 20,000 euros, concessions will have to be made
According to the executive, the first design sketches are completed and the development of the car continues its course. Concerning its final name, all bets remain open: ID. 1 or new e-UP? As Autocar points out, Volkswagen has always attached great importance to the names of its successful models such as the Golf, the Passat or the Tiguan (models which should also move into the electric era). By extension, the e-UP name could be retained.
To succeed in keeping the promise of €20,000, Grünitz recognized that concessions will have to be made, whether on autonomy, charging speed and power, or even on-board equipment. “You need a car that meets customer requirements in this price category. These cars don’t need high-end technology,” he concludes. As a reminder, the e-UP had a range of 250 km and a maximum charging speed of 40 kW. With ID. 1, we could therefore expect a slightly greater range of action, as would the charging speed.