Volkswagen wants to launch an EV under $35K in the US, says it’s not scaling back
A Volkswagen electric vehicle under $35,000 in the US? That could be the case soon. Head of strategy at VW Group America, Reinhard Fischer, said the automaker aims to build an EV under $35,000 in the US or Mexico.
Volkswagen aims to deliver an EV under $35,000
Volkswagen wants to compete with the best (meaning Tesla). To do so, it needs to offer competitively priced EVs.
At the Reuters Events Mobile Automotive USA 2023 conference, Fischer said VW wants to bring an EV under $35,000 to the US in 3-4 years. The automaker is also looking at sourcing battery packs locally to enable the sub-35K EV to qualify for the IRA tax credit of up to $7,500.
Fischer added “We are not scaling back plans for EVs in the U.S. market,” despite rivals Ford and GM delaying investments.
Volkswagen curently offers the ID.4 in the US. The electric SUV comes in eight different trims, starting at $38,995.
The VW ID.4 Standard is the only trim priced below $40K, and it features 209 miles range. For $43,995, the ID.4 Pro has up to 275 miles range.
Volkswagen is also launching the ID.Buzz, its three-row electric minibus next year. The minibus is roughly the same length and width as the VW Atlas Cross Sport. Prices have yet to be revealed, but it’s expected to start around $60,000.
Its flagship ID.7 will arrive at US dealerships next year. Volkswagen opened ID.7 orders in Europe in August, with prices starting at $62,000.
As you can see, that leaves a gaping hole in the automakers lineup. An affordable EV, under $35,000, would round out Volkswagen’s EV lineup.
With the ID.4 already being assembled in Chattanooga, TN, VW has the ability to enable the EV to qualify for the full $7,500 tax credit. It also has another plant in SC planned for its Scout brand. With this included, the new EV could run you around $27,500. Would you consider a Volkswagen EV at that price?
Electrek’s Take
Volkswagen has already made it known that it wants to produce affordable EVs. The automaker revealed its ID 2all concept in March, an electric car starting under $27,000.
CEO of Volkswagen Passenger Cars, Thomas Shafer, said “The ID 2all shows where we want to take the brand,” with improved designs and tech at an affordable price.
Vollkswagen Group’s CFO Arno Antilitz told Autocar in June “we’re quite confident that we can achieve that price point,” pointing to advances in battery tech and production.
While Volkswagen ponders plans for an affordable EV, several automakers are making it happen.
For example, Volvo’s EX30 (see our review) is arriving in the US next year. You can already place your reservation ahead of deliveries next summer. The compact electric SUV starts at $34,950 (exluding $1,295 destination) with up to 275 miles range.
After cutting prices, Tesla’s Model 3 starts at $38,990 with up to 272 miles range. The Tesla Model Y starts at $43,990 with 260 miles range.
Can you see why Volkswagen wants to introduce an EV under $35,000? Let us know in the comments if you would consider buying a VW EV at those prices.
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If you’ve ever wondered what happens when you combine a fruit cart, a cargo bike, and a Piaggio Ape all in one vehicle, now you’ve got your answer. I submit, for your approval, this week’s feature for the Awesomely Weird Alibaba Electric Vehicle of the Week column – and it’s a beautiful doozie.
Feast your eyes on this salad slinging, coleslaw cruising, tuber taxiing produce chariot!
I think this electric vegetable trike might finally scratch the itch long felt by many of my readers. It seems every time I cover an electric trike, even the really cool ones, I always get commenters poo-poo-ing it for having two wheels in the rear instead of two wheels in the front. Well, here you go, folks!
Designed with two front wheels for maximum stability, this trike keeps your cucumbers in check through every corner. Because trust me, you don’t want to hit a pothole and suddenly be juggling peaches like you’re in Cirque du Soleil: Farmers Market Edition.
To avoid the extra cost of designing a linked steering system for a pair of front wheels, the engineers who brought this salad shuttle to life simply side-stepped that complexity altogether by steering the entire fixed front end. I’ve got articulating electric tractors that steer like this, and so if it works for a several-ton work machine, it should work for a couple hundred pounds of cargo bike.
Featuring a giant cargo bed up front with four cascading fruit baskets set up for roadside sales, this cargo bike is something of a blank slate. Sure, you could monetize grandma’s vegetable garden, or you could fill it with your own ideas and concoctions. Our exceedingly talented graphics wizard sees it as the perfect coffee and pastry e-bike for my new startup, The Handlebarista, and I’m not one to argue. Basically, the sky is the limit with a blank slate bike like this!
Sure, the quality doesn’t quite match something like a fancy Tern cargo bike. The rim brakes aren’t exactly confidence-inspiring, but at least there are three of them. And if they should all give out, or just not quite slow you down enough to avoid that quickly approaching brick wall, then at least you’ve got a couple hundred pounds of tomatoes as a tasty crumple zone.
The electrical system does seem a bit underpowered. With a 36V battery and a 250W motor, I don’t know if one-third of a horsepower is enough to haul a full load to the local farmer’s market. But I guess if the weight is a bit much for the little motor, you could always do some snacking along the way. On the other hand, all the pictures seem to show a non-electric version. So if this cart is presumably mobile on pedal power alone, then that extra motor assist, however small, is going to feel like a very welcome guest.
The $950 price is presumably for the electric version, since that’s what’s in the title of the listing, though I wouldn’t get too excited just yet. I’ve bought a LOT of stuff on Alibaba, including many electric vehicles, and the too-good-to-be-true price is always exactly that. In my experience, you can multiply the Alibaba price by 3-4x to get the actual landed price for things like these. Even so, $3,000-$4,000 wouldn’t be a terrible price, considering a lot of electric trikes stateside already cost that much and don’t even come with a quad-set of vegetable baskets on board!
I should also put my normal caveat in here about not actually buying one of these. Please, please don’t try to buy one of these awesome cargo e-trikes. This is a silly, tongue-in-cheek weekend column where I scour the ever-entertaining underbelly of China’s massive e-commerce site Alibaba in search of fun, quirky, and just plain awesomely weird electric vehicles. While I’ve successfully bought several fun things on the platform, I’ve also gotten scammed more than once, so this is not for the timid or the tight-budgeted among us.
That isn’t to say that some of my more stubborn readers haven’t followed in my footsteps before, ignoring my advice and setting out on their own wild journey. But please don’t be the one who risks it all and gets nothing in return. Don’t say I didn’t warn you; this is the warning.
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Environment
Podcast: Trump/GOP go after EV/solar, Tesla, Ford, GM EV sales, Electrek Formula Sun, and more
In the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy. In this week’s episode, we discuss Trump’s Big Beautiful bill becoming law and going after EVs and solar, Tesla, Ford, and GM EV sales, Electrek Formula Sun, and more
Today’s episode is brought to you by Bosch Mobility Aftermarket—A global leader and trusted provider of automotive aftermarket parts. To celebrate Amazon Prime Day July 8th through 11th, Bosch Mobility is offering exclusive savings on must-have auto parts and tools. Learn more here.
The show is live every Friday at 4 p.m. ET on Electrek’s YouTube channel.
As a reminder, we’ll have an accompanying post, like this one, on the site with an embedded link to the live stream. Head to the YouTube channel to get your questions and comments in.
After the show ends at around 5 p.m. ET, the video will be archived on YouTube and the audio on all your favorite podcast apps:
We now have a Patreon if you want to help us avoid more ads and invest more in our content. We have some awesome gifts for our Patreons and more coming.
Here are a few of the articles that we will discuss during the podcast:
- Electrek FSGP 2025: New teams, new cars, same solar spirit
- Congress votes to send 2 million US jobs to China, increase deficit, energy costs
- Tesla (TSLA) confirms 384,000 deliveries in Q2 2025, right on expectations
- Tesla prototype sparks speculation: a Model Y, maybe slightly smaller
- Tesla launches Oasis Supercharger with solar farm and off-grid batteries
- Tesla unveils its LFP battery factory, claims it’s almost ready
- Here’s why Ford’s electric vehicle sales crashed by nearly a third in Q2
- The Chevy Equinox EV is GM’s breakout star, but that’s not the only surprise
- Xpeng launches G7, a new Tesla Model Y competitor for just $27,000
Here’s the live stream for today’s episode starting at 4:00 p.m. ET (or the video after 5 p.m. ET:
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