Volkswagen turns Jetta into an affordable electric SUV [Images]

Starting at under $25,000, the Jetta is one of Volkswagen’s most affordable vehicles. Now, the company is turning into an all-electric SUV for China.

Meet the Volkswagen Jetta X electric SUV concept.

Most of us know the VW Jetta as an affordable, everyday sedan that essentially brings German engineering to the mass market.

It was by far Volkswagen’s best-selling car in the US last year, and the fourth-most popular, behind the Tiguan, Atlas, and Taos SUVs.

In China, Volkswagen is now using the Jetta name for a new brand of entry-level new energy vehicles (NEVs) to rival BYD and other low-cost EV manufacturers.

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Volkswagen previewed the new brand for the first time, unveiling the Jetta X concept during the Group’s Media Night on April 21 ahead of the Beijing Auto Show.

The new Jetta sub-brand is “intended to carry its leadership position in affordable internal combustion engine vehicles into the electric age,” Volkswagen said during the event. The brand will launch four NEV models by 2028, which include plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) and purely electric vehicles (EVs).

Volkswagen didn’t offer many details, but did confirm the first model will hit the market this year. The Jetta X is the brand’s “pure electric concept car” that features a rugged new “Modern Robust” design language.

The Jetta brand is part of the Volkswagen Group’s most aggressive product offensive in China that will include over 20 electrified vehicles in 2026, expanding to 50 models by 2030.

During its Media Night on Tuesday, Volkswagen also unveiled the ID. UNYX 09, its second EV co-developed with XPeng, the ID. AURA T6, and the Audi E7X.

China is “at the core of our transformation,” Volkswagen Group CEO Oliver Blume said at the event. “The products and technologies we are highlighting at China Auto 2026 are strong proof points of how far we have come with our fully localized strategy. It is a defining milestone on our journey to becoming the ‘Global Automotive Tech Driver’.”

We should learn more about the Jetta electric SUV, with a production model expected to arrive soon. Meanwhile, in the US, Volkswagen is sadly ending production of the electric ID.4 to focus on the gas-powered Atlas. Don’t get your hopes up for an electric Jetta SUV in the US anytime soon (or ever).