Volkswagen has released a teaser image to the media that shows off an entry-level electric crossover vehicle that will go on sale in 2026. The strategy is thought to be essential to growing the German automaker’s electric vehicle business in Europe, where a plethora of less expensive EVs from China are gaining market share.
The new model, which is a sister vehicle to the ID.2 hatchback and was first shown as the ID.2ALL concept car in March of last year, is scheduled to replace the T-Cross internal combustion engine in VW’s European lineup when it goes on sale in a few markets later this decade. It is anticipated to start at roughly €30,000 ($33,000).
VW unveiled a compact electric CUV that has an angular design with large wheelhouses, short overhangs, an upright glasshouse, thin headlamps, and a unique C-pillar treatment with three feature lines.
The 5-seat model, which is expected to go into production under the moniker ID.2X, is built on the same MEB Entry platform as the ID.2 hatchback and other Volkswagen Group vehicles, such as the Cupra Raval.
Customers will have the option of a 38-kWh or 58-kWh battery from VW, which has the capacity to travel up to 280 miles (451 km) between charges and to be charged at up to 125 kW using a DC charger.
The ID.2X will be manufactured at the Martorell facility in Spain, home of VW subsidiary SEAT, alongside other MEB Entry platform-based models.
In terms of EV sales, VW is falling short of both its own goals from four years ago and those of some of its major competitors. VW, Porsche, and Audi’s combined global EV sales are less than half that of Tesla, and the company’s operations in China, which has historically been a strong point of VW’s global portfolio, are falling behind new competitors. According to GlobalAuto, the EV market in China is predicted to grow by more than 25% in 2024, but VW’s sales are predicted to decline by at least 7%, with an EV market share of only 3.3%.
Just 8% of the VW Group’s deliveries through the first nine months of this year, or 531,500 of the 6.8 million vehicles sold, were electric vehicles. It stated four years ago that by 2025, it would be producing two million EVs annually and that by 2030, EVs would make up half of its deliveries.
