Volkswagen caters for small BEV segment with ID. Life

Volkswagen caters for small BEV segment with ID. Life

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Volkswagen is speeding up its transformation to electric mobility with its ACCELERATE strategy, and will launch an ID. family model for the small car segment. The ID. LIFE concept car, which was presented at the International Motor Show IAA MOBILITY 2021 in Munich, gives an impression of how a vehicle of this type would look.

The vision of this fully electric small car for urban driving is centred around people and communal experiences. The concept car combines sustainability and digitalisation with flexible usage. The ID. LIFE can become a mini cinema or a gaming centre, for instance, or simply be used for relaxing outside.

“The ID. LIFE is our vision of next-generation fully electric urban mobility. The concept car provides a preview of an ID. model in the small car segment that we will be launching in 2025, priced at around 20,000 euros. This means we are making electric mobility accessible to even more people”, says Ralf Brandstätter, CEO of the Volkswagen brand.

“In creating the ID. LIFE, we have consistently focused on the needs of younger customers. We believe that, even more so than today, the car of the future will be about lifestyle and personal expression. The customer of tomorrow won’t simply want to get from A to B; they will be much more interested in the experiences that a car can offer. The ID. LIFE is our answer to this.”

The ID. LIFE, which is based on a smaller variant of Volkswagen’s modular electric drive matrix (MEB), has been developed specifically for the small car segment. It is the first time a vehicle based on the MEB has front-wheel drive.

volkswagen small bev segment life

The ID. LIFE will have a range of around 250 miles.

“The ID. LIFE proves once again how uniquely flexible the MEB is. The platform is suitable for vehicles of all types, from small cars to vans,” said Thomas Ulbrich, member of the Volkswagen Brand Board of Management for Development.

“It’s the most scalable electrical architecture in the industry. We’re just beginning to tap into the potential of MEB. Performance, charging capacity and range will continue to improve with each new model and software update.”

The sustainable character of the ID. LIFE is reflected in the choice of materials and paint finishes. In the clear coat for the bodywork, wood chips are used as a natural colouring agent, along with a bio-based hardener. The air chamber textile for the roof and front cover is made from 100% recycled PET bottles. Inside, wood in the dashboard and rear seat surrounds are combined with ArtVelours Eco for the seat surfaces and door trims. Bio-oil, natural rubber and rice husks are just some of the materials that serve as a basis for the tyres on the ID. LIFE.

By 2030, Volkswagen aims to increase the share of electric vehicles in total vehicle sales in Europe to at least 70% and in North America and China to at least 50%.