Author: Xu Tao
Is it still an electric car made with the mindset of making fuel cars?
In the Chinese market, when you mention a pure electric vehicle priced around 100,000 yuan, the first thing that comes to mind may be AION Y under Evergrande Auto before the price hike, or BYD Dolphin currently on sale.
Or it may be the highly anticipated Wuling Hongguang Mini EV, which has not yet been sold, and its competitor BYD E2.
I don’t know if you have noticed that all the above are domestically produced models.
Among these popular or highly anticipated 100,000 yuan-level pure electric small cars, it is hard to find a joint venture brand. This is because the selling price of joint venture brands’ pure electric small cars is generally not low due to cost limitations, and some are unable to enter the Chinese market due to various reasons.
However, in the future, the situation of joint venture brands lacking 100,000 yuan-level premium pure electric small cars may change.
Classic Styling
On March 16th, Beijing time, the Volkswagen ID.2all concept car officially debuted.
According to the official parameters released, the length, width, and height of the new car are 4050/1812/1530mm respectively, and the wheelbase is 2600mm. Compared with other small cars under Volkswagen, it can be seen that the body length of Volkswagen ID.2 is similar to that of Volkswagen Polo (4053mm); but in terms of wheelbase, Volkswagen ID.2 is closer to Volkswagen Golf (2636mm).
And when you see the pictures of the Volkswagen ID.2all concept car, you can know that it is almost a combination of Polo and Golf.
In terms of exterior design, Volkswagen ID.2 still retains Volkswagen’s family design style, which looks very similar to Golf at first glance, but it is different from other models in the current Volkswagen ID. series in terms of details.
The front face design of Volkswagen ID.2 adopts a flatter and sharper IQ.Light headlight group with the same color trim and double-layer headlights seamlessly integrated, presenting a strong and powerful image. Combined with the sporty bumper and air intakes below the front face, the “Little Steel Cannon” spirit of Volkswagen is once again showcased in ID.2.
Moving to the side of the vehicle, the oversized wheels catch the eye. The concise and stylish axe-shaped wheels undoubtedly pay tribute to the classic wheels on the Golf GTI. The 20-inch wheels make the car look more aggressive despite its short 4-meter length. However, it is uncertain whether these 20-inch wheels will be retained in the production version.
The design of Volkswagen ID.2 is straightforward, featuring a robust wheel arch and a straight waistline that convey a sporty feel. The rear door of the ID.2 is designed with a hidden handle, and the C-pillar, a distinctive feature of the Golf, is also incorporated into this new vehicle.
At the rear, the ID.2 boasts a simple yet elegant design. The stylish and retro-shaped tail lights are seamlessly integrated with the body, allowing the modern and traditional design elements to collide with each other. The “ID.2all” badge sitting below the Volkswagen logo directly indicates the car’s identity, and this straightforward design is believed to be appealing to contemporary young people.It is reported that the design of Volkswagen ID.2all concept car will become the latest family-style design of the Volkswagen ID. series.
Overturning Traditional Interiors
If the Volkswagen ID.2all concept car seems to have no new ideas in appearance, its interior design may surprise many people, because this subversion feeling is unprecedented in Volkswagen.
Compared with the current Volkswagen ID. series models, the interior design of Volkswagen ID.2all concept car not only retains the essence but also makes revolutionary changes.
Different from Volkswagen’s usual design, the interior of Volkswagen ID.2 follows the minimalist concept, just like the exterior. Apart from the steering wheel and two large screens, there seems to be nothing unnecessary.
Volkswagen ID.2 is equipped with a combination of a 12.9-inch suspended central control screen and a 10.9-inch LCD instrument panel. The two screens support linkage and multiple theme displays.
At the same time, the steering wheel of the Volkswagen ID.2 has also been redesigned, with a very unique shape.
When you first see this steering wheel, you may not think there is anything special about it, just an ordinary three-spoke steering wheel. But upon closer inspection, the steering wheel adopts a hollow design at the 3 and 9 o’clock positions, which has a futuristic sense.
In addition, the steering wheel buttons have also been changed to physical rollers, with a good user experience. Coupled with the flat-bottomed design of the steering wheel itself, the overall design of the steering wheel is both retro and futuristic.
Of course, the essence of the design of the Volkswagen ID. series models has not been abandoned by the new car.The gear mechanism remains a hand-held design, and the physical buttons below the central control screen have also been retained. Further down is a larger wireless charging panel that supports simultaneous charging of two mobile phones. The knob at the center channel is also interesting, and the display effect can be changed, which can be either the Volkswagen logo or the coat of arms of Wolfsburg.
Overall, the interior design of Volkswagen ID.2all concept car adopts a minimalist style.
The interior materials have been changed from plastic or leather to woven and soft materials with better tactile feedback, stronger athletic attributes, and the unique sense of luxury of the “minimalist style”.
Practicality is a selling point
As a small car with a length of only four meters, perhaps many people may not have high expectations for the space utilization of the Volkswagen ID.2. Is the reality really like this? Maybe not necessarily.
Although the length of the car is only four meters, the wheelbase of Volkswagen ID.2 is up to 2600mm, so its spatial performance is not bad.
In addition to the well-done rear space, this new car also comes with hidden storage compartments under the rear seat cushions, and so does the trunk. The benefit of this is that the car has ubiquitous storage space.
At the same time, since the rear seats support a 4/6 ratio of folding down, even the backrest of the front passenger seat can be folded down and flattened with the backrest of the rear seats, providing a storage space of 490-1330 liters in the trunk.
Of course, practicality is not limited to this.
Compared to the normal range of only around 300 kilometers at its level, the Volkswagen ID.2 has a much longer range. It is reported that the new car will be equipped with a lithium iron phosphate battery, and the range can reach 450 kilometers (WLTP condition), and supports 125kW fast charging, which can replenish 10% -80% power in 20 minutes.
In terms of power, the Volkswagen ID.2, which uses the all-new MEB Entry platform, adopts the combination of front-mounted motor and front-wheel drive for the first time, with a maximum power of 226PS and an acceleration from 0-100km/h in less than 7 seconds. This power level is even stronger than the Volkswagen ID.3. I wonder if Volkswagen ID.3 owners feel “stabbed in the back”?
Conclusion
As the first car model created by Volkswagen’s MEB Entry front-wheel drive platform, the Volkswagen ID.2 is planned to be released in mass production version in 2025 and will be launched in 2026. As for the price that everyone is most concerned about, the starting price of the Volkswagen ID.2 all mass-production model is planned to be less than 25,000 euros in Europe, which is approximately 185,000 RMB.
However, it’s worth noting that the Volkswagen ID.3 starts at 43,995 euros in Europe, which is approximately 325,000 RMB. But in China, its price is only 162,888 RMB, and there is certain level of terminal discount. Therefore, according to this ratio, if it can be introduced to China, the price of the Volkswagen ID.2 will be around 100,000 yuan.
The price of this car is even lower than that of the BYD Dolphin and the Aion Y. Even the BYD Seagull and Wuling Binguo, which have lower prices, may not be able to compete with the Volkswagen ID.2 priced at 100,000 yuan!
After all, Volkswagen’s brand influence in the Chinese market accumulated over a long period of time is difficult to be shaken by domestic brands for the time being.
In addition, Volkswagen will also launch an entry-level model starting at less than 20,000 euros. If it enters the domestic market, the selling price may only be a few tens of thousands of yuan.
However, there are still three years to go before the Volkswagen ID.2 can be mass-produced, and no one can guarantee what will happen during these three years. Moreover, there is also great uncertainty about whether this boutique car can be introduced into the domestic market. Perhaps only a few people are willing to wait for this car.
And you, are you one of those who are willing to wait for it?
This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.