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Volkswagen has previewed its future entry-level electric SUV which will see a global debut by 2026. This new SUV will be based on the upcoming ID2 entry-level EV hatchback, and both models will first go on sale in Europe, followed by other markets.
So far, Volkswagen has introduced a variety of all-electric ID-badged cars but none of them are what you’d call affordable for the mass-market. That is all set to change when the VW ID.2 comes along.
It's simplest to think of the pair as electric versions of the Polo small car and T-Cross small SUV.
The Volkswagen Group is looking for a partner to develop an entry-level EV, German publication Handelsblatt reported, citing sources, adding that the carmaker is in “very early” talks with Renault on the subject. Volkswagen and its partner firm – which is yet to be decided – could produce a combined 2,00,000-2,50,000 cars per year, added the newspaper. Spokespeople for Renault and the Volkswagen Group declined to comment, according to our sister publication Autocar UK. Each firm has already detailed its own plans to produce an affordable, mass-market EV, with Volkswagen looking to launch the ID 1 in the coming years and Renault developing a production version of the reborn Twingo concept. Volkswagen Group chief financial officer Arno Antlitz had said in June that the German giant was working “full steam ahead” to develop an EV priced at around €20,000 (approximately Rs 18 lakh).
Volkswagen passenger vehicles CEO Thomas Schäfer said bluntly that VW's cars are “no longer competitive” due to high costs and low productivity.
Job cuts are planned at the Volkswagen brand as its boss has conceded it’s falling behind rivals.
Volkswagen has long been a dominant force in Europe. The popular Golf used to be the best-selling car on the Old Continent for years. But things have changed recently with Toyota growing Stellantis having so many brands under the same corporate umbrella. Add Renault's revitalized portfolio into the mix and VW certainly has reasons to worry.
Volkswagen’s top executive overseeing global passenger car operations, Thomas Schäfer, has raised serious concerns regarding the sustainability of the German automaker’s presence in South Africa.