14 December 2023
Volkswagen’s smallest electric SUV will look nothing like ID 4 and ID 5
Electric T-Cross replacement will launch in 2026 with up to 280 miles of range – and possibly a new name
Volkswagen has given an early look at the SUV version of its upcoming ID 2 supermini, due on sale in 2026 at less than €30,000 (£25,800).
It will serve as an electric replacement for the Volkswagen T-Cross, much as its lower-slung sibling – previewed earlier this year by the ID 2All concept (below) – replaces the Polo.
Based on the same shortened MEB Entry platform as the ID 2, it will be built alongside that car – as well as the Cupra Raval and an equivalent Skoda model – in Spain.
Volkswagen is expected to reveal the car in concept form in 2024 before showing the production car the following year, a few months after the ID 2.
The brand has yet to confirm a name for the Jeep Avenger rival, but it is likely that the current numerical naming pattern will be phased out over the coming years in line with CEO Thomas Schäfer’s commitment to making VW a ‘love brand’ again.
He has already confirmed plans to retain the Golf, Tiguan and Passat nameplates, suggesting there is potential for every model in the VW line-up to have its own name – but possibly retaining ‘ID’, like the ID Buzz.
The crossover is set to be offered exclusively with a single motor on the front axle, giving 223bhp, and a choice of 38kWh and 56kWh batteries, the latter giving a range of around 280 miles.
Volkswagen has earlier said that the larger battery will be capable of topping up at 125kW to take capacity from 10-80% in just 20 minutes.
The smaller-battery car is set to be one of the cheapest electric SUVs on the market when it lands, in line with Volkswagen’s ambitious strategy to reduce the production and list price of its EVs.
The ID 2 supermini is planned to be available from £22,000, only slightly more than today’s Polo, so the equivalent SUV should go on sale at the £25,000 mark.
A preview image of the baby SUV suggests a sharp, assertive design that’s markedly cleaner-cut than the current range of curvaceous ID models.
Volkswagen designer Andreas Mindt called it a “safe, confident, bold” design that is “simple, like the ID 2 All” – referencing how that concept apes the clean, simplistic cues of previous Golf and Polo models.
Indeed, the resemblance to the supermini is obvious, though the higher-riding model will have a more upright silhouette with bulkier wheel arches, a distinctive vent-style motif on the C-pillar (which could be glass on the production car) and a chunky rear spoiler. There will be no obvious visual links between this new SUV and today’s ID 4 and ID 5, as recently appointed Volkswagen designer Andreas Mindt looks to usher in a whole new brand image.
It will measure around 4.1m long and have a wheelbase of 2600mm, and will offer more than the ID 2’s 490 litres of boot space – no doubt with the same 50-litre lockable box under the boot floor for charging cables and valuables.
Inside, it is expected to be all but identical to the ID 2, with a 12.9in infotainment screen and 10.9in digital driver display – while adopting physical switches for the audio and climate controls. Volkswagen is aiming to eradicate all glue and hard plastics from its next-generation interiors, in line with a pledge to boost material quality while reducing its cars’ environmental impact.