One of the most talked about cars of recent years is the so-called Volkswagen ID1, an electric city car that should cost less than €20,000 and be sold in large numbers. But the price target is hard to hit, and Volkswagen has announced that the car will hit the market in late 2027.

In a few weeks, Volkswagen is to choose one of four design and development proposals for the ID1, the brand’s smallest electric car, an urban model that should cost less than 20,000 euros, said Thomas Schaefer, the German brand’s chief executive.

Much has been written about this car in recent years, it was thought that it could be launched in 2025, but the difficult question is to have an acceptable profit margin for a city car that costs less than 20,000 euros in Europe. There is also likely to be a variant with a larger battery that will cost around €25,000.

“This is the real Champions League,” said Thomas Schaefer, explaining that in order to cut costs, you need to save on a large scale.

Volkswagen will decide not only the design of the car, but also the method of its production. It will be built by Skoda, which is part of the group, or will be, for example, a partnership with Renault, the brand that will launch the new Twingo EV in 2026, a small electric car that will cost from €20,000. A partnership with another major manufacturer can significantly reduce costs, but the car may end up being produced in the same factory as a competing model.

The ID1 will be the successor to the VW e-Up model, which was launched 11 years ago, and is based on the VW Up model with a heat engine.

In addition to the small ID1, Volkswagen will launch a production version of the ID2all concept in 2026, which will be an electric urban model that will have the dimensions of a VW Polo and will cost from 25,000 euros.

These two cars, the ID1 and ID2, are among 11 electric models that Volkswagen will release by 2027.

Sources: Automotive News, Autocar UK

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