The reset begins now, but Volkswagen won’t look back on the ID. era with pride
Editor Paul Barker looks at VW’s overdue EV rethink, as the brand prepares to welcome a new generation of small electric cars
It’s an important time for the VW Group’s EV strategy right now, with the first of its long-awaited new sub-£25k small cars being revealed in the form of Cupra’s Raval, and a heavy update to right some of the wrongs of the ID.3 hatchback.
It seems odd to talk of what’s so bad about Europe’s fifth-best selling electric car last year, but the ID.3, and its ID.4 and ID.5 relatives, are not cars that VW will look back on with much pride.
The ID.3 nudged the Skoda Enyaq out of the top five by fewer than 600 cars thanks to a December sales push, and was well off the Tesla Model Y and Model 3, Renault 5 and Skoda Elroq – a much better VW Group EV and the reigning Auto Express Car of the Year – sitting above it.
Despite VW being Europe’s number-one EV seller last year, the ID.3 and ID.4 that claimed the largest share of sales have, to be frank, always been a bit of a letdown. The pretty dire infotainment and low-rent interior quality have ensured they’re not widely loved, despite finding buyers. Even current CEO Thomas Schäfer admits that VW got it wrong, a pretty rare and remarkable confession, which shows a level of awareness required to get on top of the issue.
Cupra built the more highly rated Born using the same basic pieces as the ID.3, and likewise, the Skoda Enyaq is a much better car than VW’s ID.4 – again from the same starting point. Something had to click at VW sooner or later, and hopefully the ID.3 Neo is the start. Our first look at the car certainly gives the impression of vastly improved technology and interior quality.
But what comes next is even more interesting. Cupra’s Raval kicks off the VW Group entry into the vital new arena of small EVs currently dominated by the Renault 5. The ID. Polo and Skoda Epiq will also be here within 12 months, ahead of the likes of Kia’s EV1 and the revived and R5-based Ford Fiesta. Sub-£25k chic EVs are going to be everywhere in a few years, and VW has a chance to do a much better job in this market than it did with its larger cars.
VW building stronger, more desirable cars is good news for drivers, and hearing the firm’s engineering boss talking about getting back to cars the brand “wants to be proud of” makes it sound like it could, for the first time, give the class leaders something to think about.
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