Volkswagen will drop the ID designation for electric cars in favour of more familiar names
From 2026 Volkswagen will start to abandon the prefix ID. in the names of electric cars and will switch to the use of familiar names. This was announced by a member of the Board of Management of the brand for sales, marketing and after-sales service Martin Sander in an interview with the publication Auto und Wirtschaft.
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"The cars will get real names again," Sander said, adding that the production versions of the concepts ID. 2all and ID. Every1 will come out under different names.
The decision is due to the fact that the alphanumeric ID. indices were causing confusion among buyers. The line-up, which started in 2017 with the ID.3 concept, has been expanded over the years with the ID.4, ID.5, ID.6 (exclusive to China), ID.7 and the minivan ID. Buzz. Compact electric cars ID.1 and ID.2 were also announced and were planned to be introduced by 2027. Those plans are now being revised.
While specific new names are yet to be revealed, the company has previously hinted at the possibility of bringing back the historic nameplates. Thus, the expected 2026 production version of the ID.2 could be named Polo in honour of the model's 50th anniversary. In turn, the ID.1, whose premiere is scheduled for 2027, could be renamed Lupo, Fox, Up! or receive a completely new name.
In parallel with the abandonment of the ID. indexes, the brand is preparing a major update of the current electric cars. This was previously announced by Kai Grünitz, member of the Board of Directors for Technical Development. A series of restyling is also scheduled for 2026, making it an opportune time to rebrand.
In the long term, Volkswagen's electric car line-up could include recognisable names such as the Golf, T-Roc, Passat and Tiguan. The electric Golf is likely to be introduced near the end of the decade and, according to Sander, will retain the familiar name.
The company faces the task of clearly separating the electric and petrol models, which will be produced in parallel for some time to come.
Source: Auto und Wirtschaft
