Volkswagen ID Every1 previews £17k city car for 2027
ID Every1 uses new 94bhp motor, giving a claimed top speed of 81mph
Volkswagen has vowed to realise its long-held goal of an 'affordable' £17,000 electric car in 2027 with the arrival of the production version of the new ID Every1 concept car.
Described by Volkswagen as a model 'from Europe for Europe', the new car will serve as the spiritual successor to the Up as an A-segment city car and become the entry point to the German firm's range of bespoke electric ID models. Volkswagen boss Thomas Schäfer has described the model, which will be part of the firm's new Electric Urban Car Family, as 'the last piece of the puzzle' in its mass market line-up, adding: "this is the car the world has been waiting for."
The production version of the ID Every1 will sit on a modified version of the new front-wheel-drive MEB Entry platform, which has been developed for the forthcoming ID 2, ID 2X, Cupra Raval and Skoda Epiq. Those models will all be built at the Seat factory in Martorell, Spain, with prices for the ID 2 starting from around £21,000 (€25,000).
Volkswagen development chief Kai Grünitz said that the front end of the new machine from the font wheel to the A-pillar is largely the sam as the ID 2all concept, but it then uses a different, smaller battery and has a shorter wheelbase. It also features a new rear axle, which is based on that used in the current Polo.
The ID Every1 features what is described as a newly developed electric motor that produces 94bhp and gives the car a claimed top speed of 81mph. Volkswagen has provided no details of the battery capacity or what chemistry it will use but claims the model will offer a range of 'at least' 155 miles.
It will also be the first Volkswagen Group model to benefit from a new software architecture that has been developed through a new joint venture with American EV start-up Rivian.
For comparison with the cheapest EVs currently on sale in the UK, the Dacia Spring is priced from £14,995 and offers 44bhp and a range of 140 miles, while the £15,940 Leapmotor T03 produces 94bhp and offers 165 miles. Meanwhile, Volkswagen has previously said the ID 2 will offer 223bhp and around 280 miles.
The ID Every1 concept is likely to serve as a close preview of how the production car will look. It has chunky, upright proportions that evoke the Up. Volkswagen design chief Andreas Mindt said the goal was to create a car that offered 'character and an identity that people can relate to'.
There are large LED headlights and a rounded front end that, Mindt said, is intended to make the car friendly and likeable through 'a slightly cheeky smile'. The front and rear badges are illuminated.
The concept features sculpted wheel arches and 19in wheels while, as is typical for an EV, the axles have been pushed to the vehicle's extremities to maximise interior space. The relatively simple silhouette and side bodywork is intended to give the car a 'timeless' and 'classless' design, according to Mindt.
As with the ID 2all, the ID Every1's design features a number of nods to VW's heritage. In particular, the rear C-pillar has been designed to evoke that of the first-generation Golf.
Mindt has spoken of wanting every Volkswagen model he designs to offer a 'secret sauce' that helps imbue the vehicle with character. In the case of the ID Every1, Mindt cites the lowered middle section of the roof, a design concept he claimed is borrowed from sports cars. Other 'secret sauce' elements include the integrated third brake light in the roof recess and the new designs for the 19in alloy wheels.
The ID Every1 is 3880mm long, which places it between the Up (3600mm) and Polo (4074mm). The ID2all concept that will sit above it in VW's future electric line-up measures 4050mm.
Volkswagen describes the ID Every1 as a four-seater and says it also offers a 305-litre boot – a substantial increase on the 251 litres offered by the Up.
The interior of the ID Every1 features a simple design with a prominent-looking dashboard. While the dash is dominated by a centrally mounted touchscreen, it is notable that there are physical buttons for the temperature, heating and volume controls below it.
The steering wheel is a squared-off two-spoke affair. Meanwhile, the front passenger has access to a variable multi-purpose panel to which different items, such as a tablet or shelf, can be attached. A removable Bluetooth speaker is located between the driver and passenger. The centre console is similar to that offered in the ID Buzz and is mounted on a rail so that it can be slid from the front to the rear compartment. It also features pull-out shelving.
Volkswagen development chief Grünitz said the production version of the ID Every1 will be a 'customer-defined vehicle' – a phrase evoking the 'software-defined vehicle' term that reflects the car industry's increasing push towards vehicles designed around their computing architecture.
The ID 1 will be the first model in the Volkswagen Group to use a 'fundamentally new' zonal software architecture from the firm's new joint venture with American EV start-up Rivian. That new system is based on the existing software used in the Rivian R1T pick-up and R1S SUV, and is intended to be highly flexible, so it can be stripped back for the ID 1 with extra zones added for more premium models to make the software run faster and add extra features.
"The main benefit is that it's highly flexible and updatable," said Grünitz. "We see that with Rivian models on the road today, which can be updated with new functions for customers on a regular basis without the need to touch them. It's really the next step."
Grünitz did not rule out offering functions as paid-for extras that can be downloaded using software, but said that "we don't need that" to hit the ID 1's planned £17,000 target price, adding: "we are not shooting in that direction today."
While it is unusual to debut an advanced new software architecture on an entry level vehicle, VW said that showcased how important the entry level ID 1 market was to the firm. It also allows VW to learn about the software platform before it is used on the next-generation ID Golf due in the coming years.
Volkswagen has said that the production version of the ID Every1 will be built in Europe, but has yet to commit to a specific plant. The model could initially be produced alongside the ID 2 and its siblings in Spain, although given the group has already committed to producing four models from that location, it is most likely to be built elsewhere.
The ID Every1 is the first concept to be launched since the firm agreed a new 'Future Volkswagen' plan with unions at the end of last year. That strategy includes binding targets for future projects, including a commitment to strengthening its competitiveness by expanding its existing model range, and becoming the 'technologically leading high-volume manufacturer'.
Volkswagen will launch nine new models by 2027, including the production versions of both the ID 2all and ID Every1. The firm will reveal the next member of its Electric Urban Car Family, the ID 2 X crossover, in autumn this year, most likely at the Munich motor show.
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