Volkswagen is reported to have redesigned the upcoming ID. 2 EV city from scratch and renamed it before the concept was revealed in March.
Autocar reports word from inside sources that the ID.2 will carry the Golf name, acting as Volkswagen’s electric successor to the iconic city car.
The model will enter Volkswagen’s electric ID range below the current ID.3, a facelifted version of which will debut this year.
The revised ID.2 will reportedly sit midway between the Volkswagen Polo and Golf in terms of exterior dimensions, measuring around 4250mm in length.
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Current Golf
The unnamed source also said the ID.2 will be the first Volkswagen model based on the new MEB-Plus platform, an updated EV architecture that uses lithium iron phosphate (LFP) prismatic battery cells.
The revised model will reportedly receive a more conventional hatchback shape with “the kind of interior space a model typically has a segment higher” and will weigh between 1600kg and 1700kg.
The ID.2 is reportedly only set to be offered in a single-motor, front-wheel-drive configuration, but the MEB-Plus platform supports a dual-motor, all-wheel-drive model that could potentially allow for extended range.
The electric hatchback will also reportedly have a refreshed interior featuring a new infotainment system and rotary controller that will appear on the Tiguan later this year.
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id. Concept of life
There has been speculation over whether the Golf name will remain as Volkswagen moves towards its electric future.
Although it was previously rumored that the facelifted version of the ID.3 would be the successor to the Golf, Autocar’s source said that “the real value of the Volkswagen Golf lies in a car the size of the ID 2”.
In the previous Autocar interview, Volkswagen CEO Thomas Schäfer said, “The Golf name has great value…So to change the name to something different makes absolutely no sense.”
He also stated that the next generation Golf “must be an electric vehicle”. The current car overhaul will be done in 2024.
A total redesign of the ID.2 reportedly took place after negative internal reactions to the ID. The concept of life was introduced in 2020, which is a crossover EV designed by Mindt predecessor Jozef Kaban.
The ID.2 was designed by Andreas Mindt, former chief designer at Audi.
According to insider sources, the launch of the electrified Golf predecessor could also bring back the GTI badge, which means that an all-electric Golf GTI could be on the cards.
Apparently, the GTX label given to the ID.4 and ID.5 performance versions will be dropped and “a decision has been made to replace it with the traditional GTI name,” possibly starting on the new model.
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Cupra UrbanRebel concept
The new model from Volkswagen will be produced alongside the production version of the Cupra UrbanRebel, another electric hatchback under the Volkswagen Group umbrella, at SEAT’s Martorell plant near Barcelona.
A counterpart for the Skoda brand is also planned.
The German automaker has set a goal of having 70 percent of its sales in Europe come from EVs by 2030, and when released, the entry-level ID.2 will be a key part of this plan.
Locally, Volkswagen Australia plans for EVs to account for more sales than its internal combustion range as soon as 2028.