Volkswagen ID. EVERY1 — Will This Be A Hit? – CleanTechnica

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Last Updated on: 5th March 2025, 09:32 pm

Volkswagen’s got its cheap, small electric car in the works. Reaching down to the €20,000 level, the Volkswagen ID. EVERY1 is a new concept car that is supposed to arrive — in some form — in 2027.

It is supposed to be fun and sporty, but affordable and practical. The idea reminds me a bit of the Honda Prelude, mixed with the VW Beetle perhaps, but in a new electric era of course.

The Volkswagen ID. EVERY1 is also supposed to arrive once Volkswagen has completed its internal revolution in vehicle software and finally nailed this part of the car. According to Volkswagen, it is going to include “a new powerful software architecture [that] enables lifelong updates and upgrades of the production model.” In other words, it will be a “smart EV,” as Chinese startups XPENG and NIO call it.

With this announcement, Volkswagen also said it will be releasing nine new models by 2027, but it appears less than half of those will be electrics, as the company writes “including four electric models based on the new modular electric drive (MEB) platform with front-wheel drive.” Well, that could mean electric models on other platforms, but it seems Volkswagen would have indicated that. Right?

Volkswagen did bring up the old Beetle in its press release about the ID. EVERY1, as I did a month ago when we knew almost nothing about this new cheap EV that was about to be announced. The company also ropes in the slightly larger, slightly more expensive — but still cheap — electric car that will be coming a year sooner, the ID. 2all. “Since the Beetle, Volkswagen has been enabling affordable mobility for millions of people with compact and likeable cars. With the ID. EVERY1 concept car, the German car manufacturer is now showing an entry-level all-electric model. Volkswagen will launch the production version in 2027 — with a starting price of around 20,000 euros. The ID. 2all will already be launched in the 25,000-euro class in 2026. Both models are part of the new Electric Urban Car Family with front-wheel drive, which is being developed on a cross-brand basis under the umbrella of the Brand Group Core — comprising the volume brands in the Volkswagen Group. They are based on Volkswagen’s new modular electric drive platform: the MEB with front-wheel drive.”

Can these vehicles sell in very high volumes? Can they be the modern-day equivalents of the VW Beetle and early VW Golf? I’d like to think so, but, well, we live in a time when it seems everyone and their grandmother is going for an SUV. The ID. EVERY1 and ID. 2all are not SUVs. At the very least, most buyers expect larger cars. At least there is still a market for smaller cars in Europe and Asia, though, and it’s not small. (Pun intended?) And Volkswagen does emphasize that the ID. EVERY1 is targeted at the European market. It’s going to be “an electric 20,000-euro Volkswagen from Europe for Europe.”

“Attractive mobility in the electric era from Europe for Europe is one of the central pillars of the brand’s plan for the future. With the European launch of the all-electric Urban Car Family from 2026, Volkswagen will offer the most diverse portfolio in the high-volume segment — from efficient combustion-engine models and advanced hybrids to future-oriented all-electric vehicles,” Volkswagen adds. I can’t say I’m thrilled to see Volkswagen throwing in this “all of the above” lingo now, rather than staying focused on EVs, but it would not be right to hide that the company is now marketing itself in this way.

“The ID. EVERY1 is the last piece of the puzzle on our journey to having the widest model selection in the volume segment. We will then offer every customer the right car with the right drive system — including affordable entry-level all-electric mobility,” Thomas Schäfer, CEO of Volkswagen Passenger Cars, says. “Our goal: We will expand our position as the world’s leading volume manufacturer in terms of technology by 2030. And as a brand for everyone — just as you would expect from Volkswagen.” Hmm…. I expected a bit more real leadership from Volkswagen, but perhaps that was simply poor expectations.

Volkswagen, for its part, says this vehicle is all about listening to its customers. “Focus on people. ‘In the future models, we talk about Customer Defined Vehicles. The ID. EVERY1 shows that we are putting our customers, their wishes, interests and preferences at the centre of vehicle development more consistently than ever,’ says Kai Grünitz, member of the Volkswagen Brand Board of Management responsible for Technical Development.” The company also emphasized again that due to better software, owners will be able to customize their vehicles in the long term as desired. Of course, we will have to wait on the details to know what exactly that means — what will be customizable over time.

If you’ve been thinking, “Isn’t this a bit like the up!, or e-up!?,” you’ve been thinking along the right lines. Volkswagen calls the up! the predecessor to the ID. EVERY1.

Volkswagen also added the usual flowery press language to humanize the car, make its design seem special, and make the new EV seem like it will be exactly what the world ordered. But it didn’t just come from a faceless press person. “Our ambition was to create something bold yet accessible. The ID. EVERY1 has a self-assured appearance but remains likeable — thanks to details such as the dynamic front lights and the ‘smiling’ rear. These design elements make it more than just a car: they give it character and an identity that people can relate to.” Perhaps I’m a bit jaded by hundreds of auto press releases, but to be fair, I think that statement does make sense and the effect is real.

The company also offers some actual specs (which is impressive a couple years ahead of time) and a little more info on why the FWD format is so important to these small city cars (aside from keeping costs down): “New MEB with electric front-wheel drive. Like the ID. 2all and the sport version ID. GTI Concept⁰¹, the ID. EVERY1 belongs to the Electric Urban Car Family. All three models are based on the new modular electric drive platform. Thanks to the electric front-wheel drive, the MEB platform offers optimal space utilisation and maximum efficiency. The concept vehicle reaches a top speed of 130 km/h and is powered by a newly developed electric drive motor with 70 kW (95 PS). The range is at least 250 kilometres. With a length of 3,880 mm, the ID. EVERY1 is positioned between the former up! (3,600 mm), the ID. 2all (4,050 mm) and the current Polo (4,074 mm). Inside, it offers space for four people and a luggage compartment volume of 305 litres.” Note that 250 kilometres is 155 miles — right at the point I said a decade ago should eventually be the minimum range in mass-market electric cars. Hmm….

I think the ID. EVERY1 could be a real hit. I hope it is. We need more of these smaller, low-resource, accessible electric cars. Kudos to Volkswagen for prioritizing and aiming high in this segment. But, more importantly, what do you think?