Volkswagen has vowed to put an ultra-cheap electric city car into production by 2027 in a bid to take on newcomer brands from China, with some calling it ‘the next Beetle‘.
Currently referred to as the ‘ID.ONE’, the famous German brand has teased the new model during a works meeting at their famous Wolfsburg factory.
Whilst the general public will not be able to see the model until the beginning of March 2025, it has already confirmed that prices will start at about €20,000 (£16,600) – putting it up against models such as the Dacia Spring and Leapmotor T03.
Speaking at the event, Thomas Schäfer, CEO of Volkswagen, highlighted that the company will not sacrifice build quality to achieve a low price.
He explained: “An affordable, high-quality, and profitable electric Volkswagen from Europe for Europe – that’s the Champions League of automotive engineering!”
Whilst very little of the Volkswagen ID.ONE’s styling has been revealed, one preview photo shows the front end of the ultra-cheap electric city car.
Unlike the majority of the brand’s current range, which feature an LED lightbar which spans the width of the front end, the ID.ONE has conventional rectangular headlights with light-up surrounds, in addition to a light-up badge.
Despite its compact dimensions, the upcoming model also appears to have a particularly wide stance, helped by flared wheel arches.
Whilst Volkswagen’s vow to sell the ID.ONE for around £16,600 has caught the attention of many motorists, they are not the only company planning to introduce an electric model for under £20,000.
Renault has recently vowed to sell their upcoming Twingo city car for £16,600, despite having particularly retro styling and a wide range of interesting features, including a full-size glass roof.
MG has also confirmed that it is currently developing a sub-£20,000 model called the MG2, which should go on sale at the start of 2026.
Mr Schäfer also announced plans to produce more electric models in Germany, moving production of the famous Golf to Volkswagen’s facility in Mexico.
He added: “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.”
