Volkswagen has reportedly redesigned its upcoming ID.2 urban EV from scratch and rechristened it ahead of a concept reveal in March.
Autocar reports word from insider sources that the ID.2 will carry the Golf name, acting as Volkswagen’s electric replacement for the iconic urban car.
The model will enter Volkswagen’s electric ID range below the current ID.3, of which a facelifted version will debut this year.
The revised ID.2 will reportedly sit halfway between the Volkswagen Polo and Golf in terms of exterior dimensions, with a length of around 4250mm.
Current Golf
The unnamed sources also say the ID.2 will be the first Volkswagen model based on the new MEB-Plus platform, an updated EV architecture that uses lithium iron phosphate (LFP) prismatic battery cells.
The revised model will reportedly receive a more conventional hatchback shape with “the sort of interior space of models typically one segment higher” and will weigh between 1600kg and 1700kg.
The ID.2 is reportedly only set to be offered in a single-motor, front-wheel-drive configuration, but the MEB-Plus platform supports dual-motor, all-wheel-drive models which would potentially allow for an extended range.
The electric hatchback will also reportedly have a revamped interior featuring a new infotainment system and rotary controller that will debut in the Tiguan later this year.
ID. Life concept
There has been speculation over whether the Golf name will live on as Volkswagen moves towards its electric future.
While it has been previously rumoured that the facelifted version of the ID.3 would become the Golf successor, Autocar’s sources say that “the true value of the Volkswagen Golf lies in a car the size of the ID 2”.
In a previous Autocar interview, Volkswagen CEO Thomas Schäfer said, “The Golf name has huge value…So to change the name to something completely different doesn’t make sense.”
He also indicated the next-generation Golf “must be an electric vehicle”. A facelift of the current car is due in 2024.
The total redesign of the ID.2 reportedly comes after a negative internal response to the ID. Life concept unveiled in 2020, which was a crossover EV designed by Mindt’s predecessor Jozef Kaban.
The ID.2 has been designed by Andreas Mindt, formerly the chief designer at Audi.
According to the insider sources, the launch of the electrified Golf predecessor could also usher in the return of the GTI badge, meaning that an all-electric Golf GTI could be on the cards.
Apparently, the GTX label given to the performance version of the ID.4 and ID.5 will be dropped and “a decision has already been made to replace it with the traditional GTI name,” possibly starting on the new model.
Cupra UrbanRebel concept
The new model from Volkswagen will be produced alongside production version of the Cupra UrbanRebel, another electric hatchback under the Volkswagen Group umbrella, at SEAT’s Martorell factory near Barcelona.
A counterpart for the Skoda brand is also planned.
The German automaker has set a goal of having 70 per cent of its sales in Europe to come from EVs by 2030, and when released, the entry-level ID.2 will be a crucial part of this plan.
Locally, Volkswagen Australia plans for EVs to account for more sales than its internal combustion range as soon as 2028.
