Is the ID.Cross the low-cost SUV we’ve been waiting for? The Volkswagen ID.Cross debuted at the Munich Motor Show with the “secret sauce” as an affordable, stylish new electric SUV.

Meet the Volkswagen ID.Cross, an affordable electric SUV

Volkswagen is gearing up to unleash a new family of affordable electric vehicles, including the ID.Cross, ID.Polo, and an even smaller, entry-level EV model.

As the all-electric sibling to its best-selling T-Roc, the ID.Cross arrives as what could be the most important Volkswagen EV to date.

Volkswagen showcased a near-production ID.Cross concept at the Munich Motor Show on Monday, boasting the new electric SUV has that “secret sauce” with a stylish new design and perhaps, more importantly, an affordable price tag.

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Andreas Mindt, Volkswagen’s design boss, said the new design is based on three cornerstones: stability, likeability, and what he calls the “secret sauce,” which will be showcased on every upcoming model.

Volkswagen pulled design elements from some of its most iconic nameplates, including the Golf and minibus, as part of the new look.

Measuring 4,161 mm long, 1,839 mm wide, and 1,588 mm tall, with a wheelbase of 2,601 mm, the Volkswagen ID.Cross is about the size of the current T-Cross. Mindt said the electric SUV appears to be “smiling” with new graphics and a 3D light signature.

Although it’s a smaller SUV, Volkswagen promises it’s still an “all-rounder” with more interior space than you’d expect, with 450 liters of boot space.

The interior is designed as “a feel-good oasis,” according to Volkswagen. It features a lounge-style layout with new materials and various modes, including light, sound, and climate modes.

Two display screens, a 13″ infotainment and an 11″ driver display, sit at the center. Like the VW Bus, you can fold the seats completely flat to give you an open interior space.

Powered by a new version of its MEB platform, Mindt said the improvements are key to offering electric vehicles with “above-average” features at an affordable price.

The drive system features a 208 hp (155 kW) front-mounted electric motor. Although Volkswagen has yet to reveal final battery specs, it claimed the ID.Cross concept has up to 420 km (260 miles) WLTP driving range.

Adventure-seekers will appreciate its 1,200 kg max trailer weight and a ball coupling strong enough to carry two e-bikes (75 kg).

Volkswagen will unveil the production version next summer. It will follow the ID.Polo, set to debut in the first half of 2026. Prices will be revealed closer to launch, but the new VW ID.Cross will sit below the ID.4, which starts at about €34,855 ($41,000) in Europe.

Solid-state battery developer QuantumScape and business partner PowerCo, a battery company under the Volkswagen Group umbrella, just completed their first live demonstration of QS solid-state lithium-metal batteries powering an actual vehicle. In this instance, the energy-dense solid-state battery cells powered a Ducati motorcycle.

As you may already know, QuantumScape ($QS) is arguably the global frontrunner in bona fide solid-state battery development. Especially since the Silicon Valley-based company appears to be the closest in its segment to bringing full-fledged solid-state cells to the EV market at scale.

Volkswagen Group (owner of brands like Audi, Bentley, and Ducati) and its battery business, PowerCo, have been long-term investors in QuantumScape’s solid-state technology. VW Group has been testing QuantumScape’s prototype cells for years, and the technology received high praise form PowerCo.

This led to an agreement announced last year, giving PowerCo a non-exclusive license to mass produce QuantumScape’s solid-state technology. This led to an expanded partnership, as detailed in QuantumScape’s Q2 2025 financial report from July. PowerCo has agreed to contribute an additional $131 million over the next two years. In exchange, QuantumScape will prioritize QSE-5 cells manufactured on its San Jose pilot line to support the joint development agreement with PowerCo.

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Today at IAA in Munich, we saw the fruits of that development agreement demonstrated live for the first time ever. On stage, executives from QuantumScape, Volkswagen Group, and PowerCo unveiled an all-electric Ducati motorcycle, powered entirely by QSE-5 solid-state cells. Check it out.

The live demonstration occurred earlier today during Volkswagen Group’s press conference at IAA Mobility in Munich. Following detailed explanations of the technology’s development from experts at the respective companies, QuantumScape and PowerCo pulled the black sheet off the motorcycle, a modified Ducati V21L with QSE-5 solid-state cells.

The energy-dense solid-state cells in the Ducati were assembled using QuantumScape’s proprietary Cobra production process, marking the first time that the company’s anode-free cells moved from the assembly line into a real-world vehicle for the public eye to see. QS CEO and president Dr. Siva Sivaram elaborated:

Today we’ve crossed the threshold from possibility to reality. We believe that our partnership with PowerCo, together with Ducati as our demonstration launch partner, positions us to scale our transformative technology to gigawatt-hour production. Our world-leading battery innovation, combined with Ducati’s uncompromising craftsmanship and legendary commitment to performance, will help usher in a new era of electrified transportation.

The Ducati is a step toward commercialized solid-state electric vehicles, which, in its current iteration, can fast charge from 10-80% in 12 minutes (per QuantumScape). We’ve been following the progress of QS and PowerCo in the lab for the last three years, but it’s exciting to see the results of that hard work demonstrated to the public. PowerCo CEO Frank Blome also spoke:

The EV revolution is the biggest transformation the automotive industry has ever seen. Solid-state batteries will redefine what’s possible for high-performance, premium vehicles, and today’s historic demonstration is just the beginning. We’re combining QuantumScape’s world class battery scientists with PowerCo’s manufacturing expertise to bring game-changing solid-state battery technology to the world as soon as possible.

You can view VW Group’s full IAA press conference with the solid-state Ducati below:

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Tesla (TSLA) is seeing its US market share of the electric vehicle market drop to new lows in August, according to data from Cox Automotive, a research firm.

It’s happening amid a surge in EV sales in the US, following the expiration of the federal tax credit.

Tesla’s global sales have been in decline since a peak in 2023.

After declining slightly by 1% in 2024, Tesla’s sales are down roughly 10% globally in 2025.

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The American automaker’s sales in Europe are down by as much as 40% and in China, the world’s largest EV market, Tesla is down about 6%.

Only in its home market, the US, Tesla appears to be able to maintain its sales level, but that’s not expected to last.

EV sales are expected to reach a record high in Q3 2025 in the US, driven by the end of the $7,500 tax credit for electric vehicles, which will expire on September 30th. It is driving demand forward into Q3, and sales are subsequently expected to crash in Q4.

Every electric automaker is competing for the strong demand ahead of the end of the tax credit, and new data suggests that Tesla may be losing market share in the process.

According to new data from Cox Automotive, Tesla’s market share in the US was down to 38% in August (via Reuters):

Tesla, which once held more than 80% of the U.S. EV market, accounted for 38% of the total EV sales in the United States in August, the first time it has fallen below the 40% mark since October 2017, when it was ramping up production of the Model 3, its first mass market car, according to early data from Cox.

While it has been a while since Tesla dominated the US EV market with an 80% market share, the Texas-based automaker has maintained a 50%+ market share for an impressive number of years.

Tesla only started to lose its hold on the US market in 2025. The automaker’s market share in the US has been in a steady decline throughout the year.

By June, Tesla’s market share dipped below 50% to 48.7%, according to Cox’s data. Since then, it has been in a free fall, dropping to 42% in July and now to 38% in August.

Electrek’s Take

I always expected Tesla’s market share to drop over time as more EVs became available from legacy automakers and new entrants.

But I didn’t expect, or at least until the last 2 years, that Tesla’s global deliveries would decline during that time.

I thought that Tesla would continue to grow with the rest of the EV market, just with a smaller percentage of the market as the pie gets bigger.

However, that’s not what’s happening. Tesla’s deliveries are declining while the global EV market continues to surge.

Meanwhile, even in the US, Tesla’s market share is plummeting.

That’s what happened when you have a minimal and aging vehicle lineup facing increasingly intense competition, and your CEO is one of the most disliked men in the world.

Now, I know that the CEO and Tesla shareholders will say that it doesn’t matter because Tesla is somehow magically an AI and robotics company, despite almost all of its profits coming from the sale of vehicles.

The funny thing is that Tesla will end up having a strong Q3 because of the demand being pulled forward in the US, and I bet they will celebrate this even though it’s going to be purely because of the auto business and probably the last good quarter its auto business will have for a long time.