The upcoming Euro 7 regulations were to make selling combustion-powered models harder in Europe.
Revisions have made these future laws much more lenient in terms of tailpipe emissions.
In response, Volkswagen will launch the ID.2 sub-compact EV in 2026 instead of 2025.
Following revisions to the upcoming Euro 7 anti-pollution standards, Volkswagen will delay the introduction of the production version of the ID.2all concept by about a year.
Indeed, the automaker now plans for this future sub-compact electric hatchback to reach full-scale production in May of 2026 instead of 2025, according to German publication auto motor und sport.
Euro 7 regulations were initially intended to be much more stringent than current Euro 6 anti-pollution measures, to the point where numerous automakers thought they wouldn’t be able to sell smaller vehicles powered by gasoline or diesel engines profitably in Europe by the end of the decade.
This was the case for Volkswagen, who cited Euro 7 as the reason for removing the manual transmission option in the current GTI.
Following complaints from car-building nations within the European Union, Euro 7 rules have been watered down so much that the main changes over Euro 6 standards now only apply to busses, trucks, and particulates emitted by tires and brakes.
This means that current gasoline or diesel-powered models can continue to be sold in Europe at least through the end of the decade.
Volkswagen ID. 2all Concept | Photo: VolkswagenVolkswagen will reportedly use this extension to continue selling the Polo sub-compact hatchback, a model that was scheduled to be replaced by the upcoming ID.2.
Once it does arrive on the market in 2026, the ID.2 is expected to be priced under 25,000 Euros ($36,500 CAD), which would make it significantly more affordable than the current ID.3, if not as cheap as the Polo, which starts under 22,000 Euros ($32,000 CAD).
Due to the year-long delay, the production version of the Volkswagen ID.2all will no longer be among the first electric models in its category, which will be occupied by the Citroen e-C3 and various other vehicles from Chinese automakers.
In response to a reduction in the demand for its EVs in Europe, Volkswagen has also recently announced a change to its production planning. Instead of producing more units than it expected to sell of each model in order to be prepared for an unexpected demand, the automaker will now only plan for the production of 80% of its estimated sales figures, with provisions to add additional shifts in case a model proves more popular than expected.
This should help Volkswagen avoid having to idle factories due to over production again, but it could also lead to a reduced supply of new vehicles and thus higher prices for customers.
Despite full-scale production having been pushed back to 2026, Volkswagen still expects to unveil the ID.2 and manufacture a few units before the end of 2025, so more details should be expected around that time.
Source: Automotive News Europe
