When Volkswagen licked its wounds after the diesel scandal, the brand reinvented itself. The mission in Wolfsburg is that electric driving must be accessible to all. Three things are important in the cars that will be introduced in the coming years: a large range, many connectivity options and an attractive price.
Cheap Volkswagen ID.3 45 kWh
The latter sounds nice, and Volkswagen is already doing well. For example, the Volkswagen ID.3 just became 5700 euros cheaper in March. The price of the ID.3 45 kWh is 32,190 euros. For that you have to make some concessions. It got a smaller battery of 45 kWh, which means that the range is 345 kilometers. Moreover, fast charging is not so fast: with a maximum of 50 kW.
Price Volkswagen ID.2: cheaper than a T-Cross
But what about that cheap Volkswagen for the people? Thomas Ulbrich, who is on the board of directors and visited the Netherlands this week, does not want to say much about that. All he wants to say is that this VW must ensure that everyone can afford an electric car. That is why he guarantees that the small electric Volkswagen has a price below 25,000 euros. That is cheaper than a T-Cross (27,190 euros), which is probably the same size. Ulbrich also gave a hint about the name: “If he comes under the ID.3, you can guess what his name will be.” So there are two possibilities: ID.1 or ID.2.
Volkswagen in 2040: only electric
Ulbrich said even more: it will not be until 2040 that every new Volkswagen sold in Europe will be electric. By 2030, he thinks this will apply to 70 percent of new VWs in Europe. But whether Volkswagen is really the brand that brings the electric car to the masses? In February we drove the electric Dacia Spring, the cheapest electric car in the Netherlands. And let them say exactly the same as Thomas Ulbrich at Dacia … Moreover, Seat was earlier than VW, that brand already announced an electric car in March for 2025 between 20,000 and 25,000 euros. The cheap electric Volkswagen will therefore be one of triplets, because in addition to Seat, Skoda will also participate.
Thomas Ulbrich is not worried about the electrification of all Volkswagens. But from something else. Do you want to know what that is? You’ll read it in the upcoming Auto Review (in stores July 20), which you can pre-order now.