Volkswagen EV rebrand to put classic names on ID. models: Tiguan, Passat and Lupo all possible
VW will dip into its back catalogue and rebrand its ID range with familiar names; ID.Polo is only the start
Volkswagen will look to deliver on the promises it made when it appointed Thomas Schafer as CEO three years ago – including improvements in “design, usability, quality” and “finally the right names”. It means the recently announced ID. Polo is just the start of a far-reaching new naming strategy, with the firm set to cement its iconic badges in an all-electric future.
Speaking at Volkswagen’s media preview event ahead of the 2025 Munich Motor Show, Schafer told us we’ll see “another seven EVs launched by 2027” – some of which will inherit nameplates previously reserved for the firm’s combustion-engined cars.
Following in the footsteps of the ID.Polo will be a small electric SUV previewed by the ID.Cross concept – a car likely to keep its showcar nameplate when it goes into production next year. Kai Grunitz, Volkswagen’s board member for technical development described the model as “as cute as a T-Cross, but with the [interior] dimensions of a Golf”.
But perhaps even more interesting is Volkswagen’s intention to turn its back on the GTX badge – a name that first appeared on the ID.4 just four years ago. The move had been strongly suggested by the ID.Polo GTI concept and further hinted at when Schafer referenced the much mooted major reskin for Volkswagen’s mid-size electric family-car range, letting slip plans for an “ID.3 GTI” in 2026.
It’s understood that, in spite of its shape and size similarities, ID.3 will not become ID. Golf at this point in time. Andreas Mindt, Volkswagen’s head of design reiterated in an interview this week that “[Volkswagen] is not allowed to make any mistakes” when it comes to launching a new Golf. “We’re under the highest pressure to make the next big step”, he told us.
That said, a big update for the ID.4 SUV next year could be significant enough for it to be rebranded ID. Tiguan, with Mindt telling us the electric SUV will see substantial stylistic changes that link it to the production-ready ID.Cross: “The new ID.4 will be the big brother of the car you see today,” the design chief told us.
In time, we could see ID.7 occupying a space that could feasibly be covered with the ID. Passat badge, and who knows, maybe the ID.Every1 will respawn as a production car with ID. Lupo branding on the bootlid…
We won’t see the camouflage pulled off Volkswagen’s electric ID. Polo supermini until later this year, but there are plenty of petrol Polos available online. Check out the latest deals via the Auto Express Find a Car service.
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