Volkswagen is bringing up the lights on the ID. EVERY1 show car that it says will become the promised €20,000 (about $20,800 USD) affordable EV that will hopefully turn around the automaker’s struggling business.
As market leaders like Tesla continue to promise — but not deliver — the elusive entry-level EV, VW is hoping to shake things up with the unveiling of plans for a whole lineup of mass-market vehicles. The car will also be a crucial competitor as VW hopes to fend off a tidal wave of affordable Chinese EVs. But whether it makes it to North America, with all the uncertainty around EV policy right now, remains unknown.
The car will be a crucial competitor as VW hopes to fend off a tidal wave of affordable Chinese EVs
The ID. EVERY1 will slot below the ID. 2all, which was first unveiled in 2023 with the promised price of €25,000. Both vehicles are only slated for Europe for now, with production expected to begin in 2026 for the ID. 2all and 2027 for the ID. EVERY1. (It seems likely those names could change, too, when we actually get closer to production.)
The ID. EVERY1 is a small hatchback with new software and some neat tricks like a modular center console — characteristics it will share with the ID. 2all. Both models are part of the new “Electric Urban Car Family” based on front-wheel drive versions of VW’s modular electric platform. These new EVs are being developed under the umbrella of the Core brand group within the Volkswagen Group, the company said. In total, the automaker expects to unveil nine new models by 2027.
The production versions of the ID. EVERY1 and ID. 2all will be built on the second-generation version of VW’s modular “MEB” platform. The current version of MEB powers the ID.4 crossover SUV, the ID Buzz minivan, and a dozen other vehicles from Audi, Skoda, and others.
Of course, for that price, you can’t expect much in the realm of performance or range. VW says the concept ID. EVERY1 tops out at 81mph and is powered by a newly developed electric motor with 94 horsepower (70kW). VW didn’t disclose the battery size, but based on the estimated 155 miles (250km) of range, we can assume it’s somewhere around 35kWh.
The ID. EVERY1 won’t take up much room, at 152.8 inches in length, or around 27 inches shorter than the VW ID.4. Still, the hatchback can fit up to four passengers, with 10.8 cubic feet of storage in the trunk.
VW says the production version of the ID. EVERY1 will be the company’s first vehicle to feature a new “powerful” software architecture that promises over-the-air updates. (Software has proven to be a bit of a pain for VW, with bugs and infrequent updates plaguing its ID family of vehicles for years.)
Design-wise, the ID. EVERY1 looks chunky and fairly adorable, with cues from small SUVs as well as VW’s discontinued Up and Polo minicars, while also retaining stylings from the ID. Life concept from 2021. VW says the new design language that infuses the ID. EVERY1 and ID. 2all emphasizes minimalism, likability, and a “secret sauce” like the “flying roof concept,” in which the roof surface is lower in the middle without restricting headroom on the inside.
VW is also bringing some of the modular designs from the ID Buzz to the low-cost segment. The center console can be transferred to the rear of the vehicle, and the dash features a rail on which various accessories can be affixed, including a tablet, shelf, or table. There’s also a small illuminated and removable Bluetooth speaker between the driver and front passenger, reminiscent of Rivian’s R1 vehicles.
EV prices aren’t the only place Volkswagen is trying to cut costs. Following a labor strike in Germany, it reached a union deal that will mean 35,000 fewer workers and billions per year in cost cutting.
Other automakers are increasingly piling into the affordable EV space. As competition from China heats up, Hyundai and Kia are both promising more low-cost models. Tesla swears it will have a lower-priced EV to reveal sometime this year. And even Ford says it plans on releasing its own entry-level EVs — just as soon as it figures out how to make them profitable.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
