Has Volkswagen lost sight of its ambition to build Volkswagen in the truest sense of the word – even for those on a tight budget? Lower Saxony’s Prime Minister Weil comments on the product range.
Lower Saxony’s Prime Minister Stephan Weil is looking forward to the introduction of cheaper car models by the struggling manufacturer VW. “I currently see it as a gap in Volkswagen’s offerings that people cannot yet buy vehicles in the lower price segment in car dealerships,” the SPD politician told the German Press Agency in Hanover. “The name Volkswagen says it all and must be backed up by actions.”
Weil, who himself sits on the VW supervisory board, stressed that VW is preparing both a 25,000 euro car and a 20,000 euro car. “We are currently vigorously pushing forward low-cost offers,” said the head of government.
ID.2 and ID.1 to close the gap left by the E-Up
The ID.2 is planned for around 25,000 euros and the smaller ID.1 for around 20,000 euros. The ID.2 is to come onto the market in 2026 as an electric small car in Polo format and will be built by Seat in Spain together with sister models from Cupra and Skoda. There will also be an SUV version of it later. The ID.1 is to follow in 2027.
With the two models, VW wants to close the gap left by the end of the previous electric microcar, the E-Up. VW discontinued the E-Up, which cost less than 30,000 euros, last year due to stricter EU regulations on cyber security in cars.
The state of Lower Saxony holds 20 percent of the voting rights in the VW Group. In addition to Prime Minister Weil, his deputy Julia Willie Hamburg (Greens) also sits on the supervisory board. In total, more than 100,000 people work for VW in Lower Saxony, spread across six locations in the state.
Source: Stern
