What delay? Volkswagen hits back at ID.2all postponement

Volkswagen has hit back at a report from Germany alleging it has delayed the introduction of the ID.2all until 2026 as a result of the European Union’s dumbing down of the incoming Euro 7 emissions regulations.

2025 and not May 2026

Earlier this week, Auto Motor und Sport reported that the relaxed regulations, which will still be implemented in 2025, had been cited as the main reason for Wolfsburg’s decision to postpone the electric replacement for Polo from its initial reveal in 2025 to May the following year.

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A move that would have seemingly prolonged the Polo’s lifecycle by at least to mid-2025, the automaker has, however, indicated that publication’s claims are untrue and that it remains on-track to introduce the ID.2all next year.

“There was a rumour that we postponed the ID.2all to 2026, but that’s not true. We are still working on the ID.2all over the same timeframe,” Volkswagen’s Technical Development Head, Kai Grünitz, told Britain’s Autocar when asked about Auto Motor und Sport‘s claims.

“This is the 36-month [development] timeline that we changed to in early 2023. If you go back to last year when we revealed the ID 2all, we had worked for eight weeks on that project and you can see what came out”.

ID.2all family

Based on the newly devised MEB Entry platform, and producing 166 kW, 19 kW more than the South African-spec Polo GTI, the production ID.2all will have a claimed range of 450km and, according to Autocar, a simplified interior in response to recent criticism of the infotainment system software, the touch-sensitive buttons on the steering wheel and lack of illumination for the climate control sliders.

Its year of reveal seemingly still set to happen next year means the ID.2all will replace the Polo, whose production run of almost five decades in Europe will come to an end later this year.

At the same time, the ID.2all will spawn the ID.2all SUV that will replace the T-Cross in 2026, a year after the former’s production run ends after what will be a single generation.

As is equally well-known, an electric version will also be produced, but only in 2027 as previewed by the ID. GTI Concept shown at the IAA in Munich last September.

Impact on South Africa

Projected to carry a starting sticker of €25 000 (R510 354) when it goes on-sale in Europe, the ID.2all will have no sales impact in South Africa, but export implications as a result of most Old Continent-bound Polos originating from the Kariega Plant in the Eastern Cape which also assembles the Polo Vivo.

Although confirmed to remain in production for the local market post-2025 alongside the Vivo, the imminent departure of the Polo in Europe will require Volkswagen to look at other models in order for exports to continue.

As is well-known by now, this will tentatively come from a still unknown third model, only described as an “SUV-type” vehicle, that has remained unseen since being announced as a candidate for local assembly last year.

While still not officially confirmed for South Africa just yet as a result of the automaker’s well publicised local market challenges, Chairperson and Managing Director of Volkswagen South Africa, Martina Biene, remarked in July last year that confidence is still high that Germany will give Kariega the green light for production come 2026.

For now, no further details about the newcomer continues to be known, though expectations are that more could be revealed as the year progresses.

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