‘VW ID.2all an interesting candidate for India': CEO Thomas Schafer

Shortly after Volkswagen globally unveiled the ID.2all – its smallest electric vehicle – passenger car CEO Thomas Schafer, in conversation with Indian media, said that the electric hatchback holds good potential for India. He added that it cannot simply be a "transfer from Europe", even if it's built here.

1. VW plans to localise battery of the ID.2all
2. ID.2all to launch in India after 2026

At the unveiling of the ID.2all, VW promised that the car would retail for under €25,000 (Rs 22.2 lakh) and stated that a car under €20,000 (Rs 17.7 lakh) would follow. These prices, while attractive for the European market, would still be prohibitively high for India given the body type and size.

“For India, you probably have to localise deeper to get the cost further down, which is possible,” said Schafer in response to a question from Autocar India. “We showed that on the MQB-A0 platform, so when the time arises – and we introduce an electric platform – that [localisation] will definitely also have to happen.”

With its India 2.0 program the VW group localised its MQB-A0 platform – called the MQB-A0-IN – and brought in the VW Virtus and Taigun and, under the Skoda brand, the Slavia and Kushaq. With this, the group saw a revival of its fortunes and an 86 percent increase in sales last year.

The program saw a localisation level of over 95 percent, and the key to localisation of the EV would, however, be the localisation of the battery. Schafer acknowledged this saying, “The battery accounts for 40 percent of the value of the car. So if you produce the cells, then the game is on.”

VW ID.2all India launch a while away

So while the electric hatch is on the brand's radar for India, it will still take a while, with Schafer stating that any plans to launch it here would “not be before we put the car on the road here [Europe].” For now, the car is scheduled to launch in Europe by the end of 2025 or early 2026, so there is still time before India gets a taste of what would essentially be the electric equivalent of the Polo.

Small electric SUV

Beyond the hatch, what is also interesting is the plan for a small electric SUV on the same platform, with Schafer stating that this would follow the hatch, and would also be interesting for India. For now, VW is currently testing its ID.4 SUV in India, which, if greenlit would arrive as a CBU.