Volkswagen ID. Polo – The Return Of The People’s Car

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The Volkswagen ID. Polo was introduced this week amidst much fanfare. The company celebrated the news not with one but two press releases! Here are the highlights, culled from those press statements by a team of interns who labor tirelessly in the CleanTechnica newsroom located in the third subbasement of our global headquarters.

Appearance are important, of course, and at first glance, the ID. Polo is a charmer. It features carefully sculpted curves in all the right places. Its a fairly conventional two box automobile with the bits that make it go up front and the passenger compartment behind, followed by the obligatory hatchback.

The ID. Polo was once going to be called something else. Volkswagen has changed its thinking about how it names its electric models several times since the first ID. 3 rolled off the assembly line in Zwickau. But ultimately, the decision was made to leverage the substantial brand equity the company has built up in its Golf and Polo offerings. No one knows intuitively what an ID. 2all is, but millions of people recognize the name Polo.

Here are the official stats for the ID. Polo, although the broad outlines of the car have been known for some time. First off, it will be offered with two battery packs — a 37 kWh LFP version and a 52 kWh NMC option. The base car will come with a front mounted electric motor rated at 85 kW (117 hp). A 99 kW (133 hp) motor will be available as an option. Range (WLTP) for the base model is estimated at 329 km (204 mi.). EPA range? Fuhgedabowdit, This car is never coming to the US.

With the larger battery, drivers will have a choice of two motors, one rated at 155 kW (208 hp) and the other rated at 166 kW (223 hp). Range can be as much as 454 km (282 mi.) depending on what options the driver selects. The LFP battery can charge at up to 90 kW and the NMC battery can charge at up to 105 kW. Neither is spectacular, but remember the ID. Polo is pretty much a generic people mover. If you want to be in St. Tropez by 6 pm, get a Porsche Taycan.

Volkswagen says the larger battery can be recharged from 10 to 80% in 24 minutes, which doesn’t sound too bad, but it pales in comparison to the latest BYD models with flash charging that can do the same thing in under eight minutes. The cars now come with vehicle to load capability for powering small appliances or charging your e-bike.

Pure Positive Design Language

In its press statement, Volkswagen says, “The new ID. Polo is the first production model to follow the new Volkswagen Pure Positive design language. Andreas Mindt, Chief Designer for the Volkswagen brand and Group, and his team have created a compact car that has an extremely high-quality, timeless, and charismatic appearance thanks to its crystal-clear proportions, iconic design features such as a C-pillar inspired by the first Golf, a front end with a very likeable look, and a powerful rear end. The seventh generation of the product line is immediately recognizable as a Polo — but with a significantly more elegant design that also reflects technological progress.”

Well, we here at CleanTechnica may not have a “powerful rear end” on our list of must-have features for our next new car, but the ID. Polo is much more sculpted that the original Volkswagen Golf (Rabbit to Americans), a car it shares many of its basic dimensions with. Where the early car was all sharp angles, the body work on the ID. Polo flows seamless from front to back in a way that is pleasing to the eye. No doubt, much of that sculpting had as much to do with managing air flow as with aesthetics.

Australia’s Drive says, “This is Volkswagen’s challenge to affordable electric cars from China and the rest of Europe, wearing more conventional styling, and returning to buttons inside the cabin.” The ID. Polo will start at €24,995. The conventional gasoline powered Polo starts at €20,135. That’s a pretty substantial difference, even with the higher cost of gasoline today. Volkswagen says the electric model has significantly more cargo space behind the rear seats, but whether that is worth a nearly €5,000 premium is a question many customers may ask themselves.

Thomas Schäfer, CEO of the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand, said, “The ID. Polo brings a Volkswagen bestseller into the electric age. For decades, the Polo has been part of people’s everyday lives. With the ID. Polo, we are making electric mobility accessible to many more people: with clear and timeless design, intuitive operation, strong quality and technologies from higher segments. A genuine Volkswagen just like our customers expect from us.”

New Thinking For Interior Design

One item readers will appreciate is the new dashboard in the car whose gauges mimic the look of the original Polo. In addition, Volkswagen has pulled back from the paradigm started by Tesla of operating all the controls from a touchscreen. In the new car, a row of physical buttons under the touchscreen operate the climate control system and other key functions.

Thanks to MEB+ and new software, the ID. Polo comes with a host of modern assist systems as standard, the press release says. “As an option, the next generation of Travel Assist supports assisted longitudinal and lateral guidance and also reacts to traffic lights (within the system limits) — a first in this class. One pedal driving is also available as standard, allowing vehicle deceleration through regulation of the accelerator pedal alone.” Most non-electric car drivers don’t have the foggiest idea what one pedal driving is all about, but once you have it, you never want to be without it.

Tech Features

The company says the ID. Polo features driver assist systems such as adaptive cruise control, a rear view camera system, park distance control at the front, and FronT-Cross Traffic Assist. An automatic anti-dazzle rear view mirror and electrically folding exterior mirrors with memory function offer greater convenience as well. Digital features such as voice control, App Connect for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as an inductive charging function for smartphones are also standard.

Optional equipment includes a sound system from Harman Kardon with 425 watts of power with ten speakers including a sub-woofer. A panoramic glass roof is also available. A pneumatic massage system with three available programs can be included in the 12-way power seats for front passengers. The driver’s seat also has a memory function for the primary driver.

New Attention To Charging

One item at the bottom of the press release caught our attention. Many people are not able to charge their electric cars at home, which means they have to rely on public chargers, where the cost of electricity can be significantly higher. Volkswagen has a partial solution in the form of a comprehensive charging and energy package.

The heart of that package is a new city tariff developed by the Volkswagen Group’s subsidiary Elli, that makes public charging as affordable as charging at home. For customers who charge their ID. Polo at home, Elli also brings a new solution. In combination with the Volkswagen Naturstrom Flex energy tariff, charging begins automatically when electricity prices are lowest, which can reduce charging costs by up to 30%. Few automakers are addressing the cost of charging in such a direct fashion, so good on Volkswagen for doing that.

Those who speak German know the name of the company means “people’s car.” The original Beetle was designed by Ferdinand Porsche to be simple, reliable, and cheap. It featured a 4-cylinder pancake engine mounted in the rear with barely enough power to pull the skin off custard and a heating system that was more wishful thinking than real. The windshield washer was powered by the air in the spare tire, which was mounted up front where it could provide a modest amount of crash protection.

People back then would have been amazed by the idea of massaging seats, touchscreens, and panoramic glass roofs. But today, such amenities are considered essential, along with adaptive cruise control and regenerative braking. The ID. Polo is not a “people’s car” the way the original Beetle was, but it very well may be a “people’s car” for the 21st century.