It’s finally official, Volkswagen launches its model ID. Poloa fully electric version of its famous city car sold in more than 20 million copies.
Presented as the production version of the concept ID. 2allthis car is the symbol of a new strategyafter a mixed start in the electric segment.
Based on the MEB+ platformit is designed to be the European response, pragmatic and accessible, to increasingly fierce competition, particularly from France and China. Pre-sales will begin at the end of April for arrival on the roads before the end of the year.
What are the key technical characteristics of the ID. Polo?
The ID. Polo will be available around two batteries and three power levels to cover a wide spectrum of needs. The entry-level model will feature a LFP battery (Lithium-Fer-Phosphate) de 37 kWhassociated with motors 85 kW (114 ch) you 99 kW (135 hp), for a projected autonomy of 329 km.
Higher versions will benefit from a NMC batteries (Nickel-Manganese-Cobalt) of 52 kWh and a motor 155 kW (208 hp), pushing autonomy up to 454 km.
On the charging side, two batteries, two philosophies. The smallest will accept direct current (DC) fast charging up to 90 kWwhile the largest will rise to 105 kWallowing you to go from 10 to 80% in 24 to 27 minutes.
This should be more than enough for the daily life of a city car and it is still better than the 50 kW charging of the electric Twingo. Each electric vehicle of the range will also be equipped as standard with the function Vehicle-to-Load (V2L), transforming the car into mobile energy source to redistribute the electricity from its battery.
How do the design and interior mark a departure for Volkswagen?
The ID. Polo ushers in new design language Pure Positive imagined by Andreas Mindt. Gone are the complex shapes and superfluous gadgets of the first ID models.
The brand returns to lines clear, timeless and reassuring, with a C pillar inspired by the very first Golf. This design is an outstretched hand to historic VW customers who will find a car with a familiar but resolutely modern look.
But the real shift takes place inside. Volkswagen seems to have made its mea culpa by massively reinstating the physical buttons. Goodbye to the frustrating tactile sliders for the air conditioning, make way for clear controls and a steering wheel with real buttons.
This is the end of the ergonomic puzzle and a concession to logic that sounds like an admission of failure for the all-touch era. With 441 liters of trunk, this Volkswagen ID. Polo even has the luxury of being as spacious as a Golf.
What is the positioning of the ID. Polo versus the competition?
The war for electric city cars is declared. With a call price set at 24 995 € in Germany, the Volkswagen ID. Polo is placed in frontal competitor news Renault 5of the Fiat Grande Panda and Asian models like BYD Dolphin.
To stand out, Volkswagen does not play the card of pure originality, but that of efficiency and reassurance: an iconic name, a sober design and a ultra-pragmatic interior.
The German brand even has a advance already planning a version sportive ID. Polo GTIstrong with 226 hp, which will come to hunt on the lands of the Alpine A290.
By banking on a well-known name and a user-centered approach, VW hopes to convince its loyal followers to go electric but also to capture new customers who were waiting for an offer. balanced and uncompromising.
