Volkswagen has provided a first look at an all-electric car with a starting cost of less than €25,000 with the reveal of the ID. 2all concept. The front-wheel-drive hatchback with an updated brand design language has a WLTP (Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicles Test Procedure) range of up to 450 km (280 mi).

“We are transforming the company rapidly and fundamentally—with the clear objective of making Volkswagen a genuine Love Brand,” said Thomas Schäfer, CEO of Volkswagen Passenger Cars. “The ID. 2all shows where we want to take the brand. We want to be close to the customer and offer top technology in combination with a fantastic design. We are implementing the transformation at pace to bring electric mobility to the masses.”

The production version will be based on the MEB (modular electric drive) Entry platform and is one of ten new electric models that VW will launch by 2026. The brand plans to present the production version of the ID. 2all for the European market in 2025.

“We are transferring the typical Volkswagen virtues to the new world of mobility: top quality and workmanship, outstanding software, and digital services with genuine added value,” said Imelda Labbé, Member of the Brand Board of Management responsible for Sales, Marketing and Aftersales. “The focus here is always on the needs and requirements of our customers.”

Development of the ID. 2all is based on the latest evolutionary stage of the MEB platform and will be the first MEB vehicle with front-wheel drive, said Kai Grünitz, Member of the Brand Board of Management responsible for Technical Development.

“We are exploiting the great flexibility offered by our MEB platform and will set new standards in terms of technology and everyday usability with the MEB Entry platform,” said Grünitz.

On the enhanced MEB Entry platform, the ID. 2all will be as spacious as a Golf and as inexpensive as a Polo. The concept is 4050 mm (159.4 in) long, 1812 mm (71.3 in) wide, and 1530 mm (60.2 in) tall on a wheelbase of 2600 mm (102.4 in) and with 225/40 R20 wheels.

“We will realize an interior in Golf format with the compact overall length of a Polo,” said Grünitz. “As a result, we will gain plenty of space for passengers and a surprisingly large luggage compartment with a capacity of 490 to 1330 L.”

The ID. 2all is equipped with more efficient drive, battery, and charging technology.

Its electric drive motor puts out 166 kW. Performance targets include a 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) acceleration time in less than 7 s and a top speed of 160 km/h (99 mph). At DC quick-charging stations, the battery can be charged from 10 to 80% in 20 min. The battery is charged with up to 11 kW at home or at public AC charging points.

 

New design direction

Volkswagen says it is again placing greater focus on design.

“The ID. 2all gives a preview of the new design language of Volkswagen, which is based on the three pillars—stability, likeability, and excitement,” said Andreas Mindt, Head of Design at Volkswagen Passenger Cars.

Mindt, who took over as the new Head of Volkswagen Design in February, has Volkswagen in his blood, as his father was a designer in Wolfsburg before him. He joined Volkswagen in 1996 after studying design, creating the first Tiguan and the seventh-generation Golf. After stints as Audi‘s Head of Exterior Design and Director of Design at Bentley, his first project as Volkswagen’s Head of Design is the ID. 2all.

“We are transferring the DNA of our icons into the future,” he said. “The ID. 2all is therefore also an homage to the Beetle, Golf, and Polo.”

One element of the new design language is the C-pillar lifted from the first Golf, with the ID. 2all being the first VW with a new interpretation of this signature. Other design features of the concept include a body “with a clear and powerful stance on the wheels, a friendly face, a good portion of dynamics, and timeless elegance.”

The interior looks to be a return to high quality, at least in appearance, and a “self-explanatory” infotainment system with classic volume control and a separate air conditioning block.

 

Better user experience

VW plans to launch the production version of the ID. 2all with high-value technologies from larger ID. models. This includes the latest version of the Travel Assist system for partly automated driving. Other features will include IQ.Light LED matrix headlights, 3D-LED taillight clusters with a horizontal LED strip between them, Park Assist Plus with memory function, ID.Light intuitive light signals for the driver, and electric seats with massage function. A large panoramic sunroof creates an additional feel-good ambiance in the interior.

A more “self-explanatory” operation is enabled by the 12.9-in touch display of the infotainment system that has a new menu structure. Below it is a new and separate air-conditioning control panel, with main functions controlled using illuminated buttons. In the middle of the air-conditioning control panel accessible for both driver and front passenger is a small thumbwheel to adjust the infotainment volume. Further down are two large smartphone inductive charging interfaces magnetically locked in position. Other vehicle functions are operated by a menu control in the center console, which can also be used to change the look of the digital instruments.

The new multifunction steering wheel is designed to be clear and self-explanatory, with two thumbwheels on the left and right and two buttons on either side. The driver of the concept vehicle is provided with all important information on one visual axis by the 10.9-in digital cockpit and head-up displays.

Smartphones are supplied with power by numerous 45-W USB-C interfaces in various locations and by magnetic holders with inductive charging functions in the backrests of the front seats. Larger devices can be powered by a 230-V socket.

Maximum space efficiency and versatility are provided by solutions like a fold-down front passenger seat backrest that creates a continuous load area that is 2.2 m (87 in) long when folded down in combination with the 40:60 rear seat backrest and luggage compartment floor. The 440-L (15.5 ft³) luggage compartment is designed in an “extra-large format” with a rectangular stowage box under the double luggage compartment floor that can hold several shopping bags, for example. When the rear bench seat is folded down, the luggage compartment capacity increases to 1330 L (47.0 ft³).

There is a lockable, 50-L (1.8 ft³) stowage area under the rear bench seat designed for the charging cable and items such as a first-aid kit and larger devices such as laptops and tablets that can also be charged there.

 

Accelerated “electric offensive”

The production version of the ID. 2all is one of ten new electric models that will be launched by Volkswagen by 2026. Among other launches are the updated ID.3 hatchback, long-wheelbase ID. Buzz van, and ID.7 being revealed next month. A compact electric SUV follows in 2026. VW is also working on an electric car at an even more ambitious price of less than €20,000.

VW says these and other launches will give it the widest range of EVs compared with its competitors. The company is aiming to achieve an electric car share of 80% in Europe versus previous Volkswagen Passenger Cars calculations of a share of 70%.