First sketches of Volkswagen’s budget ID.1 concept (update)

Ahead of its official world premiere on March 5th, Volkswagen already teased further with two sketches on LinkedIn of how the €20.000 budget EV of the brand, the ID.1, will look like. And it inherits some of the straight lines of that other budget VW, the Up!

This successor to the VW Lupo and Up!, with the latter also available as an affordable electric version called the e-Up!, will come in 2027, a year after the ID.2. After showing a teaser image of the facia earlier, two side views of the concept model, the predecessor of the production model, were released.

It looks like the concept will be baptized ‘IDEvery1,’ as the LinkedIn hashtag suggests. Comments are kept to a minimum on the social network: “Bold confidence meets timeless simplicity! With its compact yet spacious design, our new entry-level electric car blends functionality and style effortlessly. From the charismatic front to the smiling rear end, every detail is to create a joyful connection.”

Volkswagen realizes it needs to act to survive in the electric era. After negotiating with the unions to cut costs, the German manufacturer has presented its plans for the brand’s future. The future will be electric, affordable, profitable, and made in Wolfsburg.

There is a common thread with the negative 2024 of several European auto manufacturers, especially within the VW Group: slowing sales in China (due to the local manufacturers’ growth) and a disappointing uptake of electric vehicles mean there are changes to be made. Porsche is choosing to reshuffle its Executive Board, while Volkswagen is doing a product offensive.

New entry-level EV for €20,000

The key word in Volkswagen’s upcoming electric vehicle offering is ‘affordability.’ At a work meeting in Wolfsburg, the German brand’s headquarters, CEO Thomas Schäfer presented his plans for the company’s future. And a compact electric model for around €20,000 will be a big part of this future.

This isn’t the first time we hear about this ‘Volkswagen ID.1’, which will slot even below the sub-€25,000 ID.2 coming in 2026. In 2024, the company already announced the new model during a board meeting, confirming it isn’t being built in collaboration with Renault, who is also building the new electric Twingo for the same price.

Built in Europe from 2027

Schäfer announces the new model: “An affordable, high-quality, and profitable electric Volkswagen from Europe for Europe—that’s the Champions League of automotive engineering!” It will be built on an evolution of the MEB platform, MEB-Small, featuring front-wheel drive, which will also be used on the ID.2.

This successor to the VW Lupo and Up! (which was also available as an affordable electric version called the e-Up!) will come in 2027, a year after the ID.2. Still, the show car for the new entry-level model will already be unveiled in March 2025. A first teaser has already been shown to the public, featuring the model’s front fascia and light signature.

SSP for the electric Golf and T-Roc

At the same time, VW executives wanted to reassure the factory’s employees that it has a solid future. “Our goal is to build the next-generation electric Golf on the new SSP platform, along with the high-volume electric T-Roc. This will establish Wolfsburg as the capital of our new all-electric compact class,” says CEO Schäfer.

The SSP architecture (Scalable Systems Platform) can be considered the successor to the current MEB platform, which is being developed with the help of technical partner Rivian and will be introduced in 2029.

Three-stage plan

To summarize, Volkswagen’s comeback plan contains three stages:

• Catch up: “Competitiveness is to be strengthened by optimizing cost structures and extending the existing model portfolio in a targeted way.”
• Attack: “Nine new models will be available by 2027, including the production version of the ID. 2, all for less than €25,000, and the entry-level electric car, for about €20,000.”
• Lead: “As the technologically leading brand in the volume segment, Volkswagen is setting new standards and forging ahead with mobility worldwide.”