Volkswagen ID 1 to be priced under $21,000

The dust barely settled around the recent premiers of the ID.7 and ID. 2all and Volkswagen are already talking about the next big thing. That big thing will be actually quite small - it’ll be VW’s smallest and cheapest electric car, and although its name hasn’t been officially confirmed, everybody seems to refer to it as ID 1.

The tiniest electric VW will be based on a different EV platform than the new ID. 2all, and obviously will be smaller. It is going to be a spiritual successor of the VW e-UP and its gasoline-powered predecessors - simplicity is the keyword here. Simple layouts, only essential equipment and performance suitable for the city.

VW bosses are adamant they can deliver the ID 1 at the sub-$21,000 price point and still make a decent profit. A lot rides on the new battery technology, and ID 1 will benefit from the vastly improved battery cells produced at VW’s Valencia plant - although great news at first glimpse, it points to a very distant time frame.

The Valencia plant is scheduled to start manufacturing VW ID 2, Cupra Raval, and yet unnamed Skoda triplets sometime in 2025. That puts the ID 1 on track for the 2026 debut, providing there are no unexpected delays. A lot of things can change in 3 years, and the sub-$21,000 price may be the first victim of the long wait.

The company already confirmed ID 1 will be based on a dedicated EV platform, but it’ll share some components with the upcoming ID 2. For example, the 38 kWh battery pack developed for the ID 2, will likely be the biggest battery option for the ID 1 and should deliver at least 200 miles of driving range. We can expect LFP batteries to be the choice here to keep the costs down.

Another way of keeping the costs down is to have the ID 1 manufactured outside of Europe. VW is looking at its options in India, but this would mean possible import tariffs once the finished vehicles land in Europe. As for the name - VW brand boss Thomas Shaefer is not ruling out ID 1 or ID Polo.

Via