As you probably know if you follow automotive news closely, the Euro 7 standards have recently been relaxed. Enough to give some respite to the manufacturers who had to combine the electrification of their range and bringing the heat engines up to the standards, which, as we recall, will be banned from sale in the EU in 2035.
Investments that would upgrade the current heat engines (already doomed for 11 years…) could therefore be re-invested in R&D around electricity. And manufacturers intend to take advantage of this extra time.
Thermal city cars, the first victims of Euro-7
And it might suit Volkswagen well, which could already delay the launch of its ID.2 electric city car. Contrary to what one would believe, this delay is not related to engineering problems, suppliers or changes in production lines. Rather, it is caused by the change in Euro-7 standards.
City cars, which were initially threatened by Euro 7, were at risk of disappearing due to the prohibitive costs of upgrading engines, which inevitably affected prices. Some leaders are mentioned increase from 3000 to 4000 base prices to soften the upgrade of engines to the Euro 7 standard.
However, this new “flexibility” in regulation gave them a long-term presence in the market, allowing them to continue selling without having to face exorbitant costs.
Is Volkswagen already benefiting from this?
According to Auto Motor und Sport, Volkswagen is considering delaying the launch of the production version of the ID.2. This model, aesthetically and mechanically based on the ID.2 concept car presented in March 2023, which was originally planned for 2025, may now arrive in 2026.
However, the thermal analogue of the Volkswagen Polo will remain on the market without experiencing a price increase, at least not due to significant investments in updating the engine range.
Meanwhile, in some markets Volkswagen has decided to lower prices for the basic versions of the ID.3, ID.4 and ID.5 models, in particular in France, Belgium and Norway. According to Automotive News, the move is aimed at boosting sales of electric vehicles to counter the slowdown in orders seen in recent months.
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Source: Auto Plus
Robert is an experienced journalist who has been covering the automobile industry for over a decade. He has a deep understanding of the latest technologies and trends in the industry and is known for his thorough and in-depth reporting.