Volkswagen wants an electric ID. GTI hot hatch in the US at $25,000? Bring it on!
It looks like Volkswagen may bring the electric hot hatch to the US after all. Even better, Volkswagen wants to launch the electric ID. GTI with starting prices between $20,000 and $25,000.
Volkswagen wants a $25,000 electric ID. GTI in the US
After Rivian’s CEO RJ Scaringe shocked the industry by revealing its rally-inspired R3 electric crossover, Volkswagen looks to steal the spotlight. The EV is even smaller and cheaper than the Rivian R2, which starts at $45,000.
Volkswagen Group America CEO Pablo Di Si believes the German automaker can match it. Di Si sees the electric ID. GTI hot hatch, revealed as a concept by Volkswagen last September, can find a market in the US.
However, as Di Si explained, the hot hatch EV would need to be at the right price point, which he says is between $20,000 and $25,000.
“It would make sense if we hit the right price points,” Di Si said during VW’s annual media conference.
The ID. GTI is based on VW’s affordable ID. 2 electric car, revealed last March (also as a concept). Starting under $27,000 (25,000 euros), the ID. 2 is based on an entry-level version of its MEB platform, offering up to 279 miles range.
VW brand leader Thomas Shafer confirmed the company would begin producing its even cheaper ID. 1 in 2027. It will start at about $21,700 (20,000 euros).
An electric Volkswagen hot hatch in the US?
At around $20,000, the ID. GTI would be Volkswagen’s most affordable EV in the US by far. The 2023 ID.4 starts at $38,995 (although VW is offering up to $13,000 off with a new lease deal), while the upgraded 2024 model gets a $740 price hike.
The ID.4 was the fifth best-selling EV in the US last year, with nearly 38,000 models sold. Meanwhile, an electric ID. GTI, starting at $25,000, could help boost sales as a volume model.
“My wish is that [$25,000] price point,” Di Si said, explaining, “If we cannot go to the 25, then it will be more of a niche product.”
However, nothing is set in stone. “Do we have a plan? Not yet,” Di Si said, “but it is on our radar.”
The electric Volkswagen ID. GTI concept “shows for the first time how the GTI label is being transferred to the age of electric mobility.” A production version, based on the MEB platform, is expected to roll out “by 2027 at the latest.”
The EV is inspired by the original GTI from 1976, with a modern upgrade for the new era.
Electrek’s Take
Despite several rivals, including Ford, GM, and Mercedes-Benz, scaling back EV plans, Volkswagen reaffirmed its targets during its annual media conference.
Volkswagen was the eighth best-selling EV brand in the US last year, with around 3.2% of the market. Although sales were up, VW was still behind rivals BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Hyundai.
The automaker expects growth to continue in the US with the longer-range ID.4 and the launch of two new EVs, the ID.7 and ID Buzz.
However, neither EV is expected to be a volume seller. Volkswagen confirmed plans to launch a larger electric SUV, but the ID. GTI hot hatch could be the volume seller they are looking for. Especially with starting prices around $20,000 to $25,000.
What do you guys think? Would you buy the VW electric ID GTI hot hatch for $25,000? Let us know in the comments.
Source: Automotive News
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Fancy German-made mid-drives are often considered the premier option for electric bikes, offering higher precision engineering and an overall more sophisticated experience. But they’ve also been quite pricey, at least until Ride1Up began running an incredible sale on its normally $2,195 Prodigy XC electric mountain bike, marked down to just $1,295.
I reviewed the urban version of this bike back when it was at full price, and it was a great buy even at its MSRP. But now with this killer Black Friday price, this is a deal that is unlikely to ever be seen again.
The Class 3 electric bicycle can hit speeds of up to 28 mph (45 km/h), and comes with all the benefits of that nice Brose TF Sprinter mid-drive motor. That means you get the smooth and refined torque sensor-based pedal assist, the color screen, and the higher-end ride quality.
Other nice components found on the bike include the Maxxis Forekaster off-road tires, the Tektro quad-piston hydraulic disc brakes, and the 120mm-travel air suspension fork.
At this price, Ride1Up is almost certainly selling the bike at below cost, meaning you’re getting it for less than it costs the company to build these highly-acclaimed e-bikes.
Why would they do that? Because this is the previous generation of the bike, which was eclipsed by the second-generation Prodigy V2. But hey, if this bike was good enough when it came out a year before the V2 (and it was), then it still a great bike today. For those who don’t need the nicest and newest version of a piece of tech, this is an incredible steal of a deal.
Ride1Up is all but certain to be moving these Prodigy XCs at such a low price to clear up shelf space in their warehouse, so when these are gone, they’re gone for good. And this isn’t only a Black Friday price – the company has been moving these bikes for several months at this crazy sale price. That further underscores that this is a clear-out-the-previous-version sale that will be gone for good when the bikes are gone.
At this price, there’s simply no other German-made mid-drive e-bike out there with the bang-for-buck offered by the $1,295 Prodigy XC right now, that’s for sure.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Working oil pumps against a sunset sky.
Imaginima | E+ | Getty Images
Higher fuel prices could be in the cards if President-elect Donald Trump follows through with his tariff threats on Canada, according to industry experts, who are skeptical on whether the new levies will ever be implemented.
Trump on Monday pledged to implement additional tariffs on China, Canada and Mexico on day one of his presidency, according to his posts on social media platform Truth Social. He said he would sign an executive order on Jan. 20 imposing a 25% tariff on all imports from Canada and Mexico, a move that may breach the terms of a regional free trade agreement.
Goldman Sachs’ Co-Head of Global Commodities Research Daan Struyven said that if a 25% levy hit Canadian crude exports to the U.S. “that could, in theory, lead to some pretty significant consequences for three groups.”
U.S. refiners who rely on Canadian oil barrels could face lower profit margins, and consumers may potentially face higher prices, surmised Struyven. Lastly, Canadian producers may suffer revenue losses if they are unable to reroute their barrels that would have otherwise gone to the U.S.
America’s imports of Canadian crude oil hit a record of 4.3 million barrels per day in July 2024 after the expansion of Canada’s Trans Mountain pipeline, according to the most recent data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
If we were to see a 25% tariff on Canadian energy exports, I think it could have some very significant ramifications for trade flows.
Daan Struyven
Goldman Sachs
Additionally, refiners in the Midwest, which are more adapted to process Canada’s heavy sour crude rather than the low sulfur sweet crude produced domestically, could also have problems switching should the Canadian imports be interrupted, Struyven told journalists at an online conference.
“If we were to see a 25% tariff on Canadian energy exports, I think it could have some very significant ramifications for trade flows,” Struyven said.
Mexico and especially Canada have “notable tightly integrated linkages” with the U.S. when it comes to the oil, natural gas and auto industries, Citigroup wrote in a note following Trump’s announcements this week.
“Absent carve-outs, this would increase costs for U.S. refiners and U.S. consumers,” said the bank’s research team led by Energy Strategist Eric Lee.
However, Goldman highlighted that it is unlikely that the tariffs will be implemented as announced, on the premise that the Trump administration is focused on reducing energy costs.
Trump cannot allow inflation to get out of control in the 15 months before the midterm election season, Viktor Shvets, global strategist at Macquarie Capital, told CNBC. Shvets believes that tariffs are used as a negotiating tool to achieve certain objectives such as strengthening the border.
“I do not believe for a second that there will be a massive increase in overall tariffs because that will represent a tax on U.S. domestic manufacturers. That will also represent a tax on U.S. exporters,” said Shvets.
Canada’s trade bodies have shared their concerns, too.
“As Canadians, we need to be eyes-wide-open on the President-elect’s promise for across-the-board tariffs,” the CEO of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, Lisa Baiton, reportedly said.
Danielle Smith, the premier of Alberta which accounts for the largest production of crude in Canada, said that the Trump administration has “valid concerns related to illegal activities at our shared border,” and urged the federal government to resolve said issues immediately to avoid any “unnecessary tariffs” on Canadian exports.
On today’s fact-checking episode of Quick Charge, we’ve got a showdown brewing between California Governor Gavin Newsom and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, an updated 650 hp Kia EV6 GT that’s ready to take on the world, and some sweet deals on battery-powered goodies.
We’ve also got new electric buses at UCLA that are powered by inductive current in the road itself, and a massive new solar project on a site more famous for coal than clean. All this and a little bit of fact-checking on some fresh musky nonsense – enjoy!
Today’s episode is sponsored by BLUETTI, a leading provider of portable power stations, solar generators, and energy storage systems. For a limited time, save up to 52% during BLUETTI’s exclusive Black Friday sale, now through November 28, and be sure to use promo code BLUETTI5OFF for 5% off all power stations site wide. Learn more at this link.
Source Links
Prefer listening to your podcasts? Audio-only versions of Quick Charge are now available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn, and our RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.
New episodes of Quick Charge are recorded, usually, Monday through Thursday (and sometimes Sunday). We’ll be posting bonus audio content from time to time as well, so be sure to follow and subscribe so you don’t miss a minute of Electrek’s high-voltage daily news!
Got news? Let us know!
Drop us a line at tips@electrek.co. You can also rate us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or recommend us in Overcast to help more people discover the show!
Read more: E-quipment highlight | Palfinger FLS 25 eDRIVE truck mounted forklift.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports8 months agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports1 year agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports3 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business2 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway