Volkswagen announces a smaller future

There’s a small hole in Volkswagen’s lineup at the moment. The German giant is represented in pretty much every model segment of the domestic market. Apart from one.

The current lineup covers every size of SUV, hatchbacks, estates, saloons, MPVs, even a campervan, but the city car slot has been vacant since the VW Up ended production in 2023. This situation has not gone unnoticed in Wolfsburg, home of Volkswagen.

Volkswagen recently revealed that its plans for the next few years include no fewer than nine new models between now and 2027. Four of the new models will be all-electric, and one of those – the ID. EVERY1 - will be a brand-new city car and spiritual successor to the Up!.

VW’s relationship with the city car goes back to the 1998 launch of the Lupo. At the time, this was an acknowledgment that the increasing size and weight of the Polo meant it was no longer small enough to compete with the growing popularity of a new generation of even more compact city cars. The Lupo turned out to be a bit of disappointment, but by the time the Up! came along in 2011 the kinks had been ironed out and a future Car of the Year winner was born.

With no direct replacement, when the Up! went out of production a couple of years ago it left that aforementioned hole in the VW lineup. And if the Polo was too big to be a city car in 1998, it’s even bigger now.

It’s been possible for VW to get away with this for a while thanks to its popularity in other segments, namely its broad range of SUVs and expanding EV lineup. But you don’t get to be one of the biggest carmakers in the world by ignoring an entire sector of the market.

All the way back to the Beetle, Volkswagen has a history of creating compact and practical cars that are as affordable as possible for millions of people. The brand’s plan for the next two years is set to continue that tradition with a brand-new family of cars joining the lineup.

The new Electric Urban Car Family

The new Electric Urban Car Family is based on Volkswagen’s new modular electric drive platform - the MEB with front-wheel drive – and it forms the basis of this new range of small cars.

The first out of the blocks will be the VW ID.2all due for launch in 2026.

In terms of looks and size, the ID.2 is essentially an all-electric alternative to the existing Polo, with a few touches of the original Golf in its styling. Its EV powertrain should be capable of reaching 62mph in under 7 seconds and offer a range of around 280 miles with 10-80% fast-charging in 20 minutes.

Following closely on its heels will be the production version of the ID. GTi Concept that was unveiled at the Munich Motor Show in 2023. It is essentially a hot hatch version of the ID.2 that brings the GTi badge into the all-electric era.

And then, at some point in 2027, the new VW ID. EVERY1 will arrive to fill that final Up!-shaped gap in the range. While it’s still a concept at the moment, we do know the ID. EVERY1 is ever so slightly larger than the old Up and will sit beneath the ID. 2all (4,050 mm) and the current Polo (4,074 mm) in the Volkswagen range. Inside, it offers space for four people and a luggage compartment volume of 305 litres, making it ideal for nipping through busy traffic.

Volkswagen has concentrated on giving the ID. EVERY1 a sporty design and packing it full of the latest digital features to make it an attractive option to as many people as possible. A new software architecture will also be introduced which will enable lifelong updates and upgrades to be made to the car.

The VW ID. EVERY1 will also feature a newly-developed drive motor to maximise power and efficiency. We don’t yet know how big the battery will be, but Volkswagen has revealed that the new motor generates around 95bhp, offering a top speed of 80mph and a range in the region of 150 miles.

While all of the above is going to be spread out over the next couple of years, it’s going to be worth the wait in terms of that affordability VW prides itself on.

Volkswagen is quite clear that in the future the cars you will be leasing from the brand will be electric. Within that view of the future, VW freely acknowledges that higher list prices still leave many people feeling that an EV is out of reach. The new Electric Urban Car Family is a big part of the plan to change that.

When the ID. 2all launches next year it will be sporting a price tag of £25k. When the ID. EVERY1 follows it in 2027, VW has confirmed it will be with a starting price of £20k.

That’s going to provide quite a lot of people the opportunity to not only switch to an EV, but to switch to an EV from a brand that they’ve known and trusted for years.