Volkswagen ID. Life: VW Unveils Fully Electric Budget Car
The German Auto maker is doubling down on its plans to produce electric cars and gain market share. Volkswagen ID. Life model will be built by SEAT and is set to launch in 2025 at a 22,000 Euro price.
Volkswagen yesterday unveiled a brand new fully electric car that is set to hit the streets in 2025. The ID. Life is a small hatchback concept that is designed for urban use with an affordable price point. The vehicle is Volkswagen’s attempt at capturing a larger share of the EV market whilst making electric vehicles more accessible for younger owners and the public in general. Priced at a cost of around 20,000 euros, or $23,730 USD, the Volkswagen ID. Life will be similar in size to the Volkswagen Polo and built on the company’s EV platform.
Volkswagen ID. Life, An EV For the Masses?
The ID Life model is set to be built by Volkswagens SEAT Spanish subsidiary and will be part of the German automakers’ attempt to achieve 70% of its sales via electric vehicles. The car is also part of Volkswagens plan to capture the electric vehicle market by offering lower prices for its e-cars. The company hopes to accelerate its EV production as it bids to overtake market Leader Tesla. The Volkswagen ID. Life was unveiled at this years Munich car show on September 6 2021. In a statement released via Reuters, Volkswagen’s brand CEO Ralf Brandstaetter had this to say about the new model:
“The ID LIFE is our vision of next-generation fully electric urban mobility. . ., – This means we are making electric mobility accessible to even more people.”
While no further details were available at the time of writing, Volkswagen confirmed some extra details at the unveiling. For example, the Volkswagen ID. Life will be a similar size to its popular VW Polo and will be built on the company’s dedicated EV platform. The ID Life will also feature a projector and screen to show movies, and presumably these will be for the vehicle’ passengers! The car will also come equipped with a video games console. The vehicle also boasts environmentally friendly credentials too, with the ID. Life being made from natural and recycled materials.
400 Km Range & Environmentally Friendly
Natural materials used in the making of the car include rice husks, wood for the door trims, dashboard, and even as a natural colouring agent for the bodywork. The Volkswagen ID. Life will be powered by an electric motor and will be front wheel drive. The vehicle has a 172 kW (234 PS) electric motor, and can accelerate from zero to 100 km/h in 6.9 seconds. And its 57 kWh high-voltage battery means the affordable EV can achieve a range of some 400 kilometres.
Volkswagen seems to believe that future EV owners will want more than just a vehicle that gets them from one point to the next. “The customer of tomorrow won’t simply want to get from A to B; they will be much more interested in the experiences that a car can offer,” Brandstaetter said.
Volkswagen has publicly stated its goal of achieving 70% of its vehicle sales through electric by 2030. Consequently, the ID Life will be a key part of that aim with its main target markets being Europe and China. Consequently, the ID Life will be a key part of that aim with its main target markets being Europe and China. And the price point will be a crucial factor in the adoption of electric cars.
