It’s coming: Volkswagen brought us a first glimpse of an all-electric Volkswagen costing less than 25,000 euros with their “ID. 2all” concept vehicle.

It is of course front-wheel drive, range of up to 450 kilometres, innovative technological features such as Travel Assist, IQ.LIGHT or Electric Vehicle Route Planner and a new Volkswagen design language.

Technical buffs are interested to know that this new “E”VW for the masses will be based on the MEB Entry platform and is one of ten(!) new electric models that Volkswagen will launch by 2026.

In my modest opinion, VW takes here a formidable and bold gamble… will the European car markets (and more specifically its electric infrastructure) be ready for this?

Read further about this “milestone” E-VW…it is sooo interesting and will be a harbinger for things to come!  

Hans Knol ten Bensel

VW’s goals and ambitions with this new true “E”-VW…

It is certain that VW wants the wider public to again fall in love with its cars: Thomas Schäfer, CEO of Volkswagen Passenger Cars stated it clearly: “We are transforming the company rapidly and fundamentally – with the clear objective of making Volkswagen a genuine Love Brand.”

The concept of “Wertarbeit”, a concept so beloved by the Germans, which can be freely translated to “Quality work which creates value”, is also not lost in the boardroom and lobby’s of Volkswagen. Imelda Labbé, Member of the Brand Board of Management for Sales, Marketing and Aftersales, stated it clearly: “We are transferring the typical Volkswagen virtues to the new world of mobility: top quality and workmanship, outstanding software and digital services with genuine added value.”

Mechanical perfection and reliability is therefore of prime importance, and so VW adops well-tried solutions, present in the MEB platform, which by the way uses also all the automated product processes which are already well in place.

Kai Grünitz, Member of the Brand Board of Management responsible for Development, states it for us: “The ID. 2all will be the first MEB vehicle with front-wheel drive. We are exploiting the great flexibility offered by our modular electric drive (MEB) platform and will set new standards in terms of technology and everyday usability with the MEB Entry platform.”

This VW will also certainly be no sluggard: It has a powerful electric drive motor with an output of 166 kW / 226 PS and will have a calculated WLTP range of up to 450 kilometres.

A new design…

The ID. 2all concept vehicle was designed by Andreas Mindt, who took over as the new Head of Volkswagen Design on 1 February 2023. Volkswagen is in his blood, as his father was a designer in Wolfsburg before him. Andreas Mindt joined Volkswagen in 1996 after studying design. He created bestsellers such as the first Tiguan and the seventh-generation Golf. In 2014, he moved to Audi in Ingolstadt as Head of Exterior Design.

The next step followed in 2021 when Mindt became Director of Design at Bentley in Crewe, England. However, he has always maintained his close ties to Volkswagen and continues to be the proud owner of a Beetle. Andreas Mindt on his first project as Volkswagen Head of Design: “We are transferring the DNA of our icons into the future. The ID. 2all is therefore also homage to the Beetle, Golf and Polo.”

Andreas Mindt has developed a new Volkswagen design strategy – one that will ensure the brand’s DNA remains clearly recognisable in the future. Mindt: “I am focusing on three main pillars: stability, likeability and excitement.”

“The most important value for Volkswagen design is stability,” says Andreas Mindt. This includes value stability, stability of form, reliability and recognisability. “A second core element of the brand is likeability,” explains the designer. The Beetle, Volkswagen bus, new Beetle and ID. Buzz clearly demonstrate this. “Stability and likeability – we have to achieve these two values in every respect.” But there is much more to a successful Volkswagen than that: “We also want to create excitement in our customers.” For example, with added dynamics, improved operability or the classic “form follows function” of an ID. Buzz or Golf. Technologies, forms and concepts are what make a Volkswagen desirable. Stability, likeability and excitement are typical characteristics of the Volkswagen design, the Volkswagen feeling. Mindt assigns three design elements to each of these three values. They are all reflected in the ID. 2all.

I was happy to read Mindt’s comments on design, which I have repeated time and again in my guide tours at Audi Brussels: Automotive design is an art form, but there are still clear laws that apply – such as the golden ratio. I couldn’t agree more with Andreas Mindt: “Likeability is created by the golden ratio. This is quite simply the ratio of three fifths to two fifths.” Leonardo da Vinci already followed this geometrical principle in works such as the Mona Lisa. The designer continues: “The feature line running below the window shoulder is located on exactly the golden ratio line of the ID. 2all. Both the Beetle and Golf also always followed the principle of the golden ratio.” People perceive this division created by nature as being pleasant and likeable.

Easy to use…

VW has learned from the usability mishaps in the commands of the early ID’s. VW now calls it ‘self-explanatory operation’. The touch display (diagonal: 32.7 cm / 12.9 inches) of the infotainment system has a new menu structure. Below this there is a newly developed, separate air conditioning control panel. Other vehicle functions are operated by means of a menu control in the centre console, which can also be used to change the look of the digital instruments. The new multifunction steering wheel is designed to be clear and self-explanatory – two thumbwheels on the left and right and two buttons each, and nothing else.

Charged to 80 per cent in less than 20 minutes…

The battery permits a calculated WLTP range of up to 450 kilometres. At DC quick-charging stations, the battery can be charged from 10 to 80 per cent in 20 minutes.

Provided we find these stations! In our country, the situation is still abysmal what these quick charging stations is concerned. Take Fastned: when I want for instance to drive from Antwerp to Knokke, I need to have enough range to make the 210 km trip back and forth to Antwerp, and to make things even worse, there is no Fastned charging station in the whole Antwerp region so far, and NONE in Knokke… so I would have to go towards Brussels in Steenokkerzeel, about 43,7 km from Antwerp, to find one… ridiculous isn’t it? I need at least 260 km range for the trip! To avoid any misunderstandings, we looked here only for Fastned charging stations. There are of course some other 4 to 38 kW charging stations, but any of the apps to find chanrging stations do NOT show whether you can use your bank card or not. At more than 90 %, it is not possible…

Back to our concept car…

Of course, this VW accelerates like a bullet: 0 to 100 km/h in less than 7 seconds. Its top speed is limited to 160 km/h.

A bold step for Volkswagen, but a very logical one if you take a look at its strategy. Soon, we will live in (very) different times…

Hans Knol ten Bensel