New information recently emerged about the development of the Volkswagen ID.1, treated as the replacement for the “up! electric”. Explanations about the price and launch date of the small electric SUV were commented by Thomas Schafer, CEO of the automaker.
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The executive spoke about the car’s predictions during the presentation of the brand’s 2023 economic results. According to Schafer, the future of the ID.1 will be decided by the automaker in the coming weeks.
What has already been confirmed is its launch date, which apparently will be in 2027 and what attracts the most attention, its price, which will be less than €20 thousand (around R$108 thousand). If this is indeed its value, the SUV will cost less (in direct conversion) than top-of-the-line versions of the Polo, Volkswagen’s own entry-level vehicle.
The brand is expected to reach a low price supported by large-scale production and amortization from joint development with other companies, such as Skoda and Cunpa. Regarding this, Schafer commented: “We will make the decision in the short term”.
Even a partnership with Renault is being considered, as recent reports suggest, to produce the ID.1 in partnership with the Twingo. Oliver Blume, CEO of the Volkswagen Group, spoke of the possibility of collaboration with the French. In his words: “We are working conceptually on a solution and we are not ruling out partnerships in this area”.
As for the launch date, the automaker is undergoing a restructuring process that will reduce vehicle development time to around 36 months, or 3 years. Thus, the SUV should start selling in 2027, if its production actually starts in 2024.
What the ID.1 will actually be like?
Details such as production location, name and bodywork were not revealed. Regarding the vehicle’s nomenclature, Schafer commented: “The working title is ID 1 and the vehicle is scheduled for 2027. We are in the middle of all this. We know what the car should be like.”
The speech reveals that everything seems to be in progress regarding the car project itself. But the automaker still needs to define what the production plan will actually be. There are already mentioned possibilities of joint production even with Renault, but nothing has been decided. The executive defined this decision stage as “extremely challenging”.
Still about the French company, the ID.1 rivals exactly a model from the brand, the fourth generation Twingo, an electric hatchback that is scheduled to be launched in 2026 and will have a similar price range to the Volkswagen project.
Regarding its design and bodywork, although the automaker seems to have already decided, there is nothing official. It could be that the car presents itself as a small SUV or follows the example of the ID.2 and has the added option of a hatchback.
Images – Autocar
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Tags: Volkswagen electric car priced Polo
