► VW confirms production name of ID.2`
► ID. Polo and ID. Polo GTI will launch in 2026
► Camo’d prototypes on display at Munich show
Hurrah! Volkswagen has finally seen sense, unveiling the interior of the new ID. Polo… that has buttons. VW has confirmed the production model of its new electric supermini will launch in May, complete with a complete interior redesign that’s meant to address years of complaints and faults with its interior usability.
Right at the centre of that has been Andreas Mindt, head of design at VW who has been very keen to strike a much better balance between user-friendliness and the latest technology. ‘We have created an interior that feels like a friend from the very first contact,’ he says.
‘Clear physical buttons provide stability and trust, warm materials make it appealing, and charming details such as the new retro views of the instruments show the typical Volkswagen wink.’
So, yes, as you can see – buttons aplenty. A new steering wheel fitted with physical controls as well as a set of buttons for climate control in the centre of the dashboard and four individual window switches (instead of just two and a ‘rear’ button which worked terribly in older ID. cars) are all included. There is also a right-sized instrument and infotainment display, with some retro details like dials from older-generation Polo models and graphics like a cassette tape for the audio player.
VW admits that the redesign is all based around ‘customer feedback’ and includes elements like soft-touch fabrics like little ‘Volkswagen’ badges around the car.
The news comes a little while after we drove a prototype of the ID. Polo, and learned more after a camouflaged version was unveiled at the 2025 Munich motor show.
‘Our model names are firmly anchored in people’s minds,’ says VW brand CEO Thomas Schäfer in a statement at the Munich show. ‘They stand for a strong brand and embody characteristics such as quality, timeless design and technologies for all. That’s why we’re moving our well-known names into the future. The ID. Polo is just the beginning.’
And it is the beginning, given the launch of the ID. Polo GTI in the same year. The ID. Polo GTI is the production version of the ID.GTI concept originally revealed at the 2023 Munich motor show, and is the first battery-electric GTI.
‘We are bringing one of our strongest brands, the GTI, into the electric world,’ says Martin Sander, VW board member for sales and marketing. ‘It will offer outstanding dynamics and plenty of driving pleasure.’ Indeed, the GTI is reportedly arriving with plenty of power and even some Ioniq 5 N-style performance technology when it launches.
This new strategy will see VW move more established names in its portfolio across to its EVs, while keeping names going for its combustion-led cars. That could mean that 2026’s refreshed ID.4 may be named ID.Tiguan, for example.
The reveal of the ID. Polo and its GTI variant is part of the wider Volkswagen Group’s push to launch smaller, less expensive electric cars within the next year. As well as these two, VW plans to launch an SUV sharing a similar footprint to the ID. Polo – which will be previewed by the upcoming ID. Cross concept. Skoda will launch the Epiq, and Cupra will put its Raval into production, too.
Jake has been an automotive journalist since 2015, joining CAR as Staff Writer in 2017. With a decade of car news and reviews writing under his belt, he became CAR's Deputy News Editor in 2020 and then News Editor in 2025. Jake's day-to-day role includes co-ordinating CAR's news content across its print, digital and social media channels. When he's not out interviewing an executive, driving a new car for review or on a photoshoot for a CAR feature, he's usually found geeking out on the latest video game, buying yet another pair of wildly-coloured trainers or figuring out where he can put another car-shaped Lego set in his already-full house.
By Jake Groves
CAR's news editor; gamer, trainer freak and serial Lego-ist