It looks like Volkswagen may bring the electric hot hatch to the US after all. Even better, Volkswagen wants to launch the electric ID. GTI with starting prices between $20,000 and $25,000.
Volkswagen wants a $25,000 electric ID. GTI in the US
After Rivian’s CEO RJ Scaringe shocked the industry by revealing its rally-inspired R3 electric crossover, Volkswagen looks to steal the spotlight. The EV is even smaller and cheaper than the Rivian R2, which starts at $45,000.
Volkswagen Group America CEO Pablo Di Si believes the German automaker can match it. Di Si sees the electric ID. GTI hot hatch, revealed as a concept by Volkswagen last September, can find a market in the US.
However, as Di Si explained, the hot hatch EV would need to be at the right price point, which he says is between $20,000 and $25,000.
“It would make sense if we hit the right price points,” Di Si said during VW’s annual media conference.
The ID. GTI is based on VW’s affordable ID. 2 electric car, revealed last March (also as a concept). Starting under $27,000 (25,000 euros), the ID. 2 is based on an entry-level version of its MEB platform, offering up to 279 miles range.
VW brand leader Thomas Shafer confirmed the company would begin producing its even cheaper ID. 1 in 2027. It will start at about $21,700 (20,000 euros).
An electric Volkswagen hot hatch in the US?
At around $20,000, the ID. GTI would be Volkswagen’s most affordable EV in the US by far. The 2023 ID.4 starts at $38,995 (although VW is offering up to $13,000 off with a new lease deal), while the upgraded 2024 model gets a $740 price hike.
The ID.4 was the fifth best-selling EV in the US last year, with nearly 38,000 models sold. Meanwhile, an electric ID. GTI, starting at $25,000, could help boost sales as a volume model.
“My wish is that [$25,000] price point,” Di Si said, explaining, “If we cannot go to the 25, then it will be more of a niche product.”
However, nothing is set in stone. “Do we have a plan? Not yet,” Di Si said, “but it is on our radar.”
The electric Volkswagen ID. GTI concept “shows for the first time how the GTI label is being transferred to the age of electric mobility.” A production version, based on the MEB platform, is expected to roll out “by 2027 at the latest.”
The EV is inspired by the original GTI from 1976, with a modern upgrade for the new era.
City Dwellers’s Take
Despite several rivals, including Ford, GM, and Mercedes-Benz, scaling back EV plans, Volkswagen reaffirmed its targets during its annual media conference.
Volkswagen was the eighth best-selling EV brand in the US last year, with around 3.2% of the market. Although sales were up, VW was still behind rivals BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Hyundai.
The automaker expects growth to continue in the US with the longer-range ID.4 and the launch of two new EVs, the ID.7 and ID Buzz.
However, neither EV is expected to be a volume seller. Volkswagen confirmed plans to launch a larger electric SUV, but the ID. GTI hot hatch could be the volume seller they are looking for. Especially with starting prices around $20,000 to $25,000.
What do you guys think? Would you buy the VW electric ID GTI hot hatch for $25,000? Let us know in the comments.
: Automotive News
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