VW’s Awesome Cheap Electric Car May Arrive Very Soon

But will it come to America?

Published March 10, 2023

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Volkswagen has led off its push for EVs in America with the ID.4 crossover and the ID. Buzz van. But according to Autocar, VW’s new leadership is planning to take perhaps the brand’s most important vehicle, the Golf, electric — deploying the nameplate for the new entry-level ID.2.

Here’s what we know about the new electric Golf so far.

It should look very much like a Golf

Autocar reports the new Golf will be a compact five-seater vehicle on an upgraded version of the MEB platform. VW reportedly junked an SUV-based design based on the ID. Life. This model will have more of a hatchback styling.

The new vehicle will be around an inch and a half shorter than the Mk8 Golf and have roughly the same interior space. It should weigh between 3,500 and 3,750 lbs — heavier than a combustion Golf but super light by EV standards. Dual-motor AWD versions would be possible.

It may just be called the Golf

VW reportedly has not decided on an official name. Though Autocar thinks it may end up being called the ID Golf or just the Golf rather than the ID.2. A potential hotter version would also get traditional GTI badging rather than an electric GTX badging and may get a 223-hp FWD unit VW Group used in the just launched Cupra Urban Rebel.

It sounds like VW will upgrade that awful interior

We knew VW was planning to tweak its much-maligned new interior and bring back actual steering wheel buttons. And Autocar says the new car will receive a revised center console with an integrated rotary knob to replace the slider and supplement the touchscreen controls.

How much will the electric VW Golf cost?

According to Autocar, the targeted base price would be around $24,000. Transferred to America, that price would make it the most affordable EV on sale in the U.S.

Will VW actually bring the new Golf to America?

That is the big question. There could be some reason for optimism. Volkswagen has changed its leadership both overall and in North America. So the paradigm that VW will swap out all of its traditional cars for big, spacious crossovers may not stick. The base Golf did not sell well toward the end of its run. But a new, affordable electric car may be a different proposition altogether.

Previous German reporting did have VW bringing a new, smaller EV to America — though that vehicle was an SUV version of the ID.3. And it may be significant that VW’s American-based social media accounts are not counting down to the March 15th reveal.