By ROB HULL
Updated: 07:08 EST, 6 March 2025
74
View
comments
Volkswagen has teased the look of what's soon to become its smallest and cheapest electric car - and it's due to arrive within two years and with a very affordable asking price.
The ID.Every1 concept has just been unveiled as the preview to the forthcoming ID.1 - the German giant's electrified spiritual successor to compact cars from its past, like the Up, Fox and Lupo.
It is set to launch in 2027 in the hope it will stimulate demand for its EVs as the car giant struggles in the current market.
Volkswagen is currently in the process of dramatically slashing production at its dedicated electric car-only factory in Germany in the wake of declining sales, and the threat of plant closures and job losses still looms.
It means much hinges on the auto firm's new models arriving before the end of the decade.
Bosses have promised nine new EVs to transform its line-up, with the ID.1 seen as the 'last piece of the puzzle'.
And it will be the least expensive piece too, with the car maker stating it will come with a starting price of 'around €20,000', which translates to £16,750. If it arrived now, it would be Britain's third cheapest EV.
VW has likened its impact on the market to the iconic Beetle, saying it will 'enable affordable mobility for millions of people with compact and likeable cars'.
Volkswagen's new affordable electric car arriving in 2027: This is the ID.Every1 concept - a preview of what the forthcoming ID.1 - VW's smallest next-generation EV - will look like...
VW bosses say the production-ready version will arrive with a starting price of 'around €20k', which translates to £16,750. If it launched now, it would be Britain's third cheapest EV
The ID.Every1 concept, revealed in Dusseldorf on Wednesday evening, can be considered an early look at how the production version will appear.
Bosses say the design is very close to the real deal, with customers likely to see something slightly toned down with smaller wheels, proper door handles and revised light clusters front and back.
It will also see VW's long-awaited return to the smallest 'A' segment following a three-year hiatus after it culled the Up city car at the end of 2023.
By the time it arrives, it will sit below the Polo-sized ID.2 in Volkswagen's vehicle line-up, with the bigger electrified supermini expected for release in 2026 - and likely unveiled this year.
While the brand will also update its existing ID.3, ID.4 and ID.5, launch a GTI hot-hatch variant of the ID.2 and add three more models to its electric family of cars, the ID.1 is arguably its biggest challenge of all.
ID.1 will mark VW's long-awaited return to the smallest 'A' segment following a three-year hiatus after it culled the Up city car at the end of 2023
Bosses have promised nine new EVs to transform its line-up, with the ID.1 seen as the 'last piece of the puzzle' as it looks to overhaul its struggling electric car model range
The concept, fitted with a 94bhp electric motor and riding on large 19-inch wheels, has a top speed of just 130kmh, which is a just shy of 81mph. The range is 155 miles - but that could increase for the production model arriving in 2027
Gartner, a US market research firm, last year published a report predicted that the price of a new electric car will drop to the same level as an equivalent new petrol or diesel model 'much faster than initially expected,' saying drivers will see price parity by 2027.
It claimed that new manufacturing methods will reduce production costs below those for a comparable car with an internal combustion engine within the next three years.
Build costs will drop considerably faster than the cost of batteries, which are the most expensive part of an EV and account for around 40 per cent of the vehicle's price, the March 2024 report said.
Volkswagen, like all other EV makers, will be hoping this is the case.
VW's dedicated electric car factory in Zwickau is currently in the midst of a huge cost-cutting exercise.
Vehicle outputs at the plant are set to be slashed as part of a recent agreement between Europe’s largest car maker and its works council and union IG Metall.
The deal, made in December, eliminated the threat of factory closures and job cuts until 2030 with the compromise that production capacity will be halved.
Arno Antlitz, chief financial officer of VW Group, told employees in January that in the future 'we will only invest in competitive plants. Germany cannot be an exception.'
At the end of February, VW Group closed Audi's EV factory in Brussels where it made larger electric SUV vehicles.
Earlier this month it was announced that around 6,000 people could lose their jobs at Skoda, which is also set to make drastic cuts to keep up with an expensive EV rollout.
Some links in this article may be affiliate links. If you click on them we may earn a small commission. That helps us fund This Is Money, and keep it free to use. We do not write articles to promote products. We do not allow any commercial relationship to affect our editorial independence.
Share what you think
The comments below have not been moderated.
The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.
By posting your comment you agree to our house rules.
Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline?
Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual.
Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline?
Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual
We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook.
You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.
Published by Associated Newspapers Ltd
Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group