€20,000 Volkswagen Electric Car — The Next VW Beetle?

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Final Up to date on: seventh February 2025, 02:34 am

The Volkswagen Beetle is an iconic automotive that is among the prime symbols of the cultural revolution of the Nineteen Seventies (a revolution that’s someway going through vital backlash right this moment, by the way). It was a well-liked automotive of younger adults within the ’70s. However, whereas its cute design and “Beetle” title might seem to be an enormous a part of that, an even bigger half was that it was a easy, tremendous reasonably priced automotive.

Since then, we haven’t seen many automobiles capable of evaluate or compete. Certain, there have been a whole lot of reasonably priced small automobiles, however the Beetle was particular. Volkswagen might now be engaged on a 2020s Beetle, an electrical one. The corporate is engaged on a €20,000 tremendous reasonably priced EVand it wrote about that yesterday in a information launch on the matter.

We don’t know a lot about it but. Will probably be proven early subsequent month. However Volkswagen is aiming massive. Thomas Schäfer, CEO of the Volkswagen Passenger Vehicles model, described is as: “An affordable, high-quality, and profitable electric Volkswagen from Europe for Europe — that’s the Champions League of automotive engineering!” Observe that this isn’t the ID. 2all, however along with it — and even cheaper. May it’s an electrical Beetle? Nicely, given the preview picture, that appears extremely unlikely … but it surely looks like it will likely be in spirit. Just like the Beetle earlier than it, it will likely be a easy, tremendous reasonably priced automotive. May it’s one of many icons of a brand new revolution?

As a minimum, perhaps it may stand up from being the 7th best selling plugin vehicle brand in the world.

Beneath is Volkswagen’s full news release from yesterday on the automotive.

At right this moment’s works assembly in Wolfsburg, Thomas Schäfer, CEO of the Volkswagen Passenger Vehicles model, introduced plans for the way forward for the core model. Workers additionally had a primary glimpse of the design of the Volkswagen model’s future entry-level electrical mannequin at a worth of about €20,000. “With the conclusion of negotiations in December, we set the largest future plan in Volkswagen’s history in motion. We are pursuing an ambitious path to ensure we achieve our shared goals with full commitment. A key step in this is making e-mobility attractive for everyone — that is our brand promise,” mentioned Schäfer. On the identical time, the Volkswagen model CEO emphasised that Wolfsburg would stay the middle for innovation and manufacturing competence. He mentioned that the primary plant would set new requirements in vehicle manufacturing.

Volkswagen plans to current the present automotive for the brand new entry-level mannequin to the general public firstly of March. The world premiere of the manufacturing mannequin is scheduled for 2027. With a base worth of about €20,000, the brand new entry-level electrical mannequin will likely be enticing for all kinds of person teams. Schäfer: “An affordable, high-quality, and profitable electric Volkswagen from Europe for Europe – that’s the Champions League of automotive engineering!”

Daniela Cavallo, Chairwoman of the Normal and Group Works Council of Volkswagen AG: “The new all-electric entry-level model will be a Volkswagen in the genuine sense of the term. It is therefore appropriate that our employees at the Wolfsburg plant will be the first to have a preview of the design — before the general public.”

Low-cost entry-level mobility within the electrical period will likely be one of many cornerstones of the model’s future plan. Along with the manufacturing model of the ID. 2all²⁶the brand new electrical mannequin is a part of the brand new electrical small automotive household developed beneath the umbrella of the Model Group Core inside the Volkswagen Group. The mannequin household contains compact all electrical autos based mostly on the brand new stage within the evolution of the modular electrical drive (MEB) platform. The primary new mannequin would be the manufacturing model of the ID. 2all present automotive, which is to succeed in dealerships in 2026 as Volkswagen’s first all-electric small automotive — at a base worth of lower than €25,000.

Volkswagen is already nicely positioned within the area of all-electric battery electrical autos (BEV). Because the launch of the ID. product household in 2019, the model has offered a complete of greater than 1.35 million ID. autos all through the world, together with about 500,000 ID.3. Final 12 months, the Volkswagen model offered 383,100 all-electric autos.

Clear perspective for the Wolfsburg plant

On the works assembly, model CEO Thomas Schäfer emphasised that the Wolfsburg plant would stay the center of the Volkswagen model within the electrical age: “The Wolfsburg plant has a clear future ahead. By relocating Golf production to Mexico, we are creating space for modern technologies. New production processes will be introduced in Hall 54. Our goal is to build the next-generation electric Golf on the new SSP platform there, along with the high-volume electric T-Roc. This will establish Wolfsburg as the capital of our new all-electric compact class”

The Scalable Methods Platform (SSP) will characterize the following technology of an all-electric, absolutely digitalized, extremely scalable mechatronics platform based mostly on a uniform system structure.

Cavallo: “Wolfsburg, the heart of the Group world, will face crucial tasks that we will need to tackle with determination. Technical Development will be performing pioneering work for all the other passenger car brands with the SSP platform, which will be used throughout the Group. This lever will be just as important for our future success as our platform strategy for our current ICE models. At our main plant, we will not only be working on development but also producing strongly over the next few years. The future electric flagships – the Golf and the T-Roc produced in Wolfsburg – currently represent a volume in excess of 500,000 units per year. The main plant has therefore secured a highly attractive vehicle segment and will be continuing the tradition of the Golf from Wolfsburg, which has a history of more than 50 years. It will now be crucial to work consistently on the preparations required for success in the years to come. Volkswagen must set the course in terms of complexity, work procedures and synergy effects. The Works Council and top management will cooperate closely on these developments. Our cooperation will include a joint progress meeting every quarter.”

The Volkswagen model’s “triple A” plan: speed up, assault and obtain

With the “Zukunft Volkswagen“ (Future Volkswagen) settlement, Volkswagen AG agreed with worker representatives on the finish of December 2024 on a imaginative and prescient for the long run combining financial stability, employment and expertise management within the area of sustainable mobility. Binding targets and the measures agreed to succeed in them lay the inspiration for tasks sooner or later. The collectively agreed purpose is for the Volkswagen Passenger Vehicles model, because the core of Volkswagen AG, to turn into the technologically main quantity producer globally by 2030.

For this function, Volkswagen has adopted an formidable three-stage plan:

• Catch up: competitiveness is to be strengthened by optimizing price constructions and increasing the prevailing mannequin portfolio in a focused manner.
• Assault: There will likely be 9 new fashions by 2027 together with the manufacturing model of the ID.2all for lower than €25,000 and the entry-level electrical automotive for about €20,000.
• Lead: because the technologically main model within the quantity phase, Volkswagen is setting new requirements and forging forward with mobility all through the world.