Volkswagen ID.Every1 concept: entry-level ID.1 EV will ‘still feel like a Volkswagen’

Small electric cars have been a stumbling block for many manufacturers in recent years, but German giant Volkswagen is about to make headway with the new ID.1.  

The new city car is part of a nine-model influx of fresh VW electric cars due by 2027. Others will include the Polo-sized ID.2all later this year, plus reboots of the ID.3, ID.4 and ID.5 and an SUV and GTI variant of the ID.2All. It remains to be seen what form the remaining two models will take. 

The most ambitious of the new vehicles is the A-segment ID.Every1. At 3,880mm long, the concept is around 280mm longer than the previous Volkswagen up!, largely because it now has to fit a battery pack between the axles. 

Although the smallest entrant to VW’s electric range of ID-badged vehicles will be a new model, fresh information from Volkswagen management has revealed that the ID.1 will share plenty of components with existing models to keep costs low. 

Speaking to Auto Express at the Shanghai Motor Show, VW’s board member for sales, Martin Sander, told us, "[ID.Every1] uses all the components from other products on the platform. It speaks to the flexibility and scalability of the platform to larger and also smaller products. We could never do the vehicle like the [ID.Every1] on its own. It would not work, but we need all the components, everything we have available.”

With the positives of scalability, Volkswagen is expecting to sell the ID.1 at around the 20,000-euro mark (just over £17,000). That would give plenty of space between it and the ID.3, which starts at just under £30,000, and potentially the forthcoming ID.2all, too.

VW’s technical development chief Kai Grunitz added, "Martin [Sander] came to me and said, hey, I need an entry vehicle. I want to sell it for €20,000 and I want to earn money with that.”

To keep costs down, the ID.Every1 concept (which will morph into the ID.1) utilises parts from other VW EVs. Grunitz said: "It took 1.5 years to develop the concept for that vehicle [ID.Every1]. Because we started with the ID.2 all, and the ID.Every1 is from the front to the A-pillar pretty much the same but with a different engine [motor].”

The VW ID.1’s battery will also get a ‘dedicated chemistry’ for its new battery, though at the back Volkswagen is implementing a rear axle from the Polo. Crucially though, Grunitz says the ID.1 will “still feel like a Volkswagen”. 

Prices, specs and rivals

Even with that price point of roughly 20,000 euros, the VW ID.1 won’t have the small electric car market to itself when it arrives in 2027. Renault is working on bringing back the Twingo (already shown in concept form) and our 2024 Car of the Year, the Citroen e-C3, will soon get a smaller battery that’ll lower its price to under £20,000. 

While the ID.Every1 is technically a concept car, VW says that it’s around 80 per cent relevant to the road-going ID.1. Expect smaller wheels, bigger door handles and slightly different head and tail-lights, though no major changes to the bodywork or styling will arrive on the production car.

It will rely heavily on the revised MEB architecture that will be introduced with the ID.2, but Volkswagen has reduced the wheelbase by around 60mm, plus fitted a new e-motor, battery pack and, as we’ve said, a rear axle from the current Polo supermini. Some particularly expensive elements, such as the firewall, are shared for the sake of scale.

Compared with the Renault Twingo concept, the VW is 180mm longer, while also being a little taller and wider. Volkswagen says this will yield very good space inside for up to four occupants, plus a 305-litre boot, which is around 50 litres bigger than the VW up!’s. 

The ID.Every1 rides on 19-inch wheels – these will be replaced by 18-inch rims for the production car – but the overall design seen on the concept will be put into production as is. 

Its downsized electric motor generates 94bhp, and is good for an 80mph top speed, while its 155-mile range is short of the expected 170 miles Renault has suggested for its Twingo. However, with a specific focus on urban drivers, VW thinks its range will be sufficient. 

No information has been released about the ID.Every1’s battery size, but it’s likely to be around the 35-40kWh mark, and will be made of an LFP battery chemistry. As with all MEB cars, it will sit in a flat panel under the cabin and between the axles.  

Design and interior

Key to the ID.1’s success will be the styling, and in this case Andy Mindt and his designers have employed the same ethos used with the ID.2all Concept in 2023. Using past VW icons for reference, such as the Lupo and up!, the ID.Every1 draws inspiration from what made those cars great, without relying on literal design elements. 

Its chunky body is designed to look timeless, without being bland. The nose has a simple form with a single headlight and grille graphic that will make its way to the production car. VW’s talent of giving design human characteristics through elements such as the headlight’s ‘pupils’ or subtle, cheeky ‘smile’ at the front end help make the car both approachable and personable. 

Other fine detailing such as the contoured roof panel and its clever hidden third brake light, plus simple oblong elements such as the rear lights and lower air intake finalise a design package designed to broaden the ID.1’s appeal. Overall, the car seen here will change slightly for production as all concepts generally do, however, the bits that matter such as the flared wheelarches and slim glasshouse will be carried over largely unchanged.

Volkswagen will also use the production car to introduce its all-new software-driven electronic architecture that’s been designed as part of VW’s joint venture with American EV manufacturer Rivian. It will emphasise the use of over-the-air updates to keep the car fresh long after it leaves the showroom, but will also yield lots of benefits that will improve performance, plus reduce development time and costs. 

The cabin concept is very simple, but features clever use of non-coated and textured materials to keep it from feeling stark. The main dash integrates a small driver’s display and two outer air vents that reference the design of the headlights, with the touchscreen mounted above a physical set of controls for ventilation, volume and heated seats. 

There’s a central cubby in the dash that will act as the car’s main glovebox, with an open section beside it with straps for larger items. These elements will be tweaked for the production ID.1, but as the car will be aimed at both private and fleet customers, you will be able to specify the new car at a very basic level, with or without elements such as the centre console. The cabin will only seat four people, as is the norm with VW’s city-sized models. 

Volkswagen knows it’s had a rough ride in the last few years, with company executives very clear at the ID.Every1’s international reveal about the firm’s misdirection in the past decade. But the team is confident that with this ID.1 at the base, the next generation of VWs will return to a leadership role within the entire European car industry.

How VW will keep it cheap

The low-cost EV is already a space that some brands are occupying, with Citroen and Fiat at the forefront with their e-C3 and Grande Panda, but VW’s ID.1 will be both less expensive yet more sophisticated. So, how does VW intend to make the numbers work in a space that’s been nearly impossible to make money from EVs that cost three or even four times the price?

This is a question we posed to VW’s member for research and development, Kai Grunitz, who explained how the brand will build a car at such a low price point, and at a relatively limited scale. The lower cost of batteries is an obvious starting point, but VW is adamant that it’s not the silver bullet that will allow EVs to suddenly become profitable.

“The battery is only one element, so if you want to reach that 20,000 euro mark, you need savings across the board,” Grunitz said.

“We see that the price did go down in the last few years, that’s also partly due to overcapacity – especially in China – but when the battery itself gets smaller, then the price point of the battery itself isn’t quite so important. For example, the battery size of an ID.7 is double the size, so it’s obviously going to cost more, but you can’t just rely on the battery to reach that 20,000 euro mark.”

So what else makes it possible? Key shared elements that are being developed for this new MEB-Entry platform are a factor, such as the scuttle – or the section of car between the pedals and front wheels – which is shared with the ID.2all. 

According to VW, about 80 per cent of the cost of development is centred around just this point, saving huge amounts of cash. The front wing also features the charging point, making it closer to many of the electric powertrain elements, saving more money. 

Yet despite the temptation to completely lean on scale and parts-sharing with other models such as the forthcoming ID.2all, the ID.1 will feature its own battery composition, e-motor and rear axle. 

But the biggest saving might come from its new-generation software architecture that VW says will reduce development time, and therefore costs, to just three years for an all-new model, or even as low as 24-26 months for a re-fresh, as you might expect for a facelift or  new derivative.

For now, the ID.1 will be just for VW, and has been costed with that scale taken into account. Grunitz added: ‘The most important element is speed. This car will take us roughly three years to develop, including all the new elements. A new topper with only minor technological updates could take as little as 24-26 months. This is competitive with companies in China. The most important point that allows this is the software architecture, because we are not starting with a white sheet of paper, we’re starting with what’s already on the road.”

It looks like the warning shots fired across VW’s bows have not been missed, and throughout our time with the manufacturer’s top brass, it’s clear that there’s an added sense of enthusiasm. There is also acknowledgement that mistakes have been made, and it’s up to the bosses to make amends. While the European EV market remains volatile, it is heading into one very clear direction, one that by 2030 VW is confident that it will once again lead.

Can’t wait for the ID.1? Take a look at our VW ID.3 discounts, or discover even more deals via our Find a Car service…