After 40 years, Volkswagen is no longer building Polo models in Europe. VW has ended Polo production in Europe as it shifts focus to smaller, more affordable EVs.
VW Polo production ends in Europe after 40 years
Volkswagen has been building Polo models in Pamplona, Spain, since 1984. Over 8.4 million Polos have been built at the Pamplona plant as one of Europe’s top-selling cars.
According to the latest DataForce (via Automotive News) figures, Volkswagen’s Polo was Europe’s 8th top-selling small car, with over 90,100 models sold this year through August 2024.
However, Volkswagen is preparing to introduce a series of smaller, more affordable EVs, which will be built at the facility. The Pamplona plant is scheduled to begin producing two small electric SUVs in 2026.
The new electric SUVs will be powered by a modified version of Volkswagen’s MEB platform, underpinning its current ID series, including the ID.4.
We got our first look at the small SUV last year after Volkswagen unveiled the ID.2all concept. The ID.2all will sit below the ID.3 with starting prices under 25,000 euros ($27,500).
Volkswagen ID.2all electric vehicle (Source: Volkswagen)
Smaller, more affordable EVs en route
CEO Thomas Shafer said the ID.2all previews “where we want to take the brand.” The electric SUV is expected to get up to 279 miles (450 km) WLTP driving range.
Volkswagen blended iconic design elements from legends like the Golf and Beetle with a modern upgrade to stand out in the electric era.
Volkswagen ID.2all electric vehicle (Source: Volkswagen)
Head designer Andreas Mindt claims the ID.2 looks “even better” than the concept shown last year as design work on the production model wraps up. Mindt said the low-cost electric SUV “gives a preview of the new design language of Volkswagen.”
After revealing the interior for the first time last December, Mindt stated, “The future of Volkswagen interiors has arrived.”
Volkswagen’s ID 2all EV interior (Source: VW)
Volkswagen claims the ID.2 will feature a generous storage volume of up to 47 cubic feet (1,330 liters). Mindt said it is unusual to find so much storage space in a small car.
One of the coolest interior features is the new rotary knob, which allows you to select from different driving modes inspired by the Golf and Beetle. By turning the knob, you can choose between “Classic,” which draws from the Beetle era, or “Vintage” modes, which will bring you back to the Golf era.
Volkswagen ID 2all “Vintage” mode from the Golf era (Source: Andreas Mindt)
Last month, Volkswagen’s low-cost EV was spotted for the first time out testing ahead of its official debut.
Mindt also teased a slightly bigger ID.2all SUV model, which is expected to launch shortly after the ID.2 in 2026.
Volkswagen ID 2all electric SUV (Source: Volkswagen)
Although VW ended Polo production in Europe, the model will still be sold in the region. However, production has been moved to its Kariega, South Africa plant. Volkswagen will also continue building T-Cross and Taigo models in Spain, the company confirmed.
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Ruth Porat, President & Chief Investment Officer of Alphabet & Google, speaks during the Reuters NEXT conference, in New York City, U.S., December 10, 2024.
Mike Segar | Reuters
Alphabet‘s Google will invest $25 billion in data center and artificial intelligence infrastructure over the next two years in states across the biggest electric grid in the U.S., the technology company said Tuesday.
Google will also spend $3 billion to modernize two hydropower plants in Pennsylvania to help meet the growing power demand from data centers and AI in the region, according to the company.
The refurbishment of the Pennsylvania plants is part of broader a framework agreement that Google signed with Brookfield Asset Management to purchase 3,000 megawatts of hydroelectric power across the U.S.
Google’s investments in the region comes as the PJM Interconnection is struggling to keep up with rising electricity demand from data centers and industry. PJM is the biggest electric grid in the nation, covering 13 states across the mid-Atlantic and parts of the Midwest and South. It includes the world’s largest data center market in northern Virginia.
President Donald Trump, White House Cabinet officials, tech and energy executives are meeting at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh on Tuesday to discuss AI investment in Pennsylvania.
Locals call him the “Bicycle hero,” but Texas man Evan Wayne says he’s just doing what he can to help his community after it was cut off due to the recent devastating and deadly flooding tragedy.
When the local Sandy Creek flooded following torrential rains in Texas, it destroyed the only bridge into one community. Residents were cut off from access to supplies, including everything from necessities like food, water, and medicine to basic comforts.
Although the bridge was impassable to cars, volunteers who quickly organized to help the stranded residents found that the damaged bridge could still be traversed on foot. Or in the case of Evan Wayne, it could be covered by an electric bike.
Evan joined hundreds of volunteers who answered the call of grassroots organizers by working together without any official capacity. While many started by hand-pulling garden carts of supplies uphill to reach the stricken community, Evan jury-rigged a trailer to an e-bike and took on as much of the load as he could, helping shuttle much-needed food and gear into the community over hundreds of round-trip journeys.
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“This was a dog trailer 48 hours ago. I had a hacksaw, hacked the top off, grabbed some bungee cords, and here we are,” explained Evan in an interview with CBS Austin, while waiting for the next load of gear to be stacked on his trailer.
In the first two days of the operation, he made around 100 round trips each day, shuttling food and water as well as critical rescue supplies. “Right now, I’m waiting on a couple of chainsaws that I’ll bring in for a crew that’s been going at it with handsaws so far.”
In addition to delivering needed supplies, Evan has often found himself moving something even more important: information. “I’ve flagged down medics. I’ve been the guy that goes between Austin EMT and STAR Flight because I’m quicker than cell phones sometimes, people don’t have signal a lot of the time.”
Evan quickly points out that he isn’t the only one helping. “I’ve got an e-bike, but other people are pulling carts. People are walking, people are carrying things. Everyone is doing what they can.” But there’s no doubt that his ability to carry more gear at higher speeds and make hundreds of round-trip journeys so far in and out of the stricken neighborhood has helped impact countless lives.
“This is all volunteers here. They’re just taking it upon themselves to get people where they need to go. I think there’s an umbrella company coming in, taking over tomorrow, but until they get here, people are just taking care of people, which is what you’ve got to do.”
E-bikes proving their worth in emergencies
While many people consider electric bicycles just another form of recreation, they’ve proven to be potent transportation alternatives after natural disasters worldwide.
Not only do their small and efficient batteries make performing hundreds of rescue trips like Evans’ possible, but recharging can be done simply and easily with a solar panel when electricity is out after a disaster. And when gas stations are out of fuel (or simply can’t pump it with the power grid down), e-bikes can keep running while gasoline-powered motorcycles or ATVs run dry.
Electric bicycle batteries have also proven to be a handy source of emergency power after hurricanes and other disasters, often helping owners keep their phones charged up for days to remain in contact with family or rescue services.
While most hope to never need theirs for emergency purposes, electric bicycles have proven their worth in countless disaster scenarios, adding benefits far beyond just alternative transportation, recreation, or fitness riding.
E-bikes can be kept running nearly indefinitely after natural disasters with access to solar recharging equipment
Image credits: CBS Austin (screenshots), used under fair use
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Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey testifies during a remote video hearing held by subcommittees of the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee on “Social Media’s Role in Promoting Extremism and Misinformation” in Washington, U.S., March 25, 2021.
Handout | Via Reuters
Block jumped more than 5% on Monday, leading a rally in shares of fintech companies as analysts downplayed the threat of JPMorgan Chase’s reported plan to charge data aggregators for access to customer financial information.
The recovery followed steep declines on Friday, after Bloomberg reported that JPMorgan had circulated pricing sheets outlining potential fees for aggregators like Plaid and Yodlee, which connect fintech platforms to users’ bank data.
In a note to clients on Monday, Evercore ISI analysts said the potential new expenses were “far from a ‘business model-breaking’ cost increase.”
In addition to Block’s rise, PayPal climbed 3.5% on Monday after sliding Friday. Robinhood and Shift4 recorded modest gains.
Broader market momentum helped fuel some of the rebound. The Nasdaq closed at a record, and crypto rallied, with bitcoin climbing past $123,000. Ether, solana, and other altcoins also gained.
Evercore ISI’s analysts said that even if JPMorgan’s changes were implemented, the most immediate effect would be a slight bump in the cost of one-time account setups — perhaps 50 to 60 cents.
Morgan Stanley echoed that view, writing that any impact would be “negligible,” especially for large fintechs that rely more on debit, credit, or stored balances than bank account pulls for transactions.
PayPal doesn’t anticipate much short-term impact, according to a person with knowledge of the issue. The person, who asked not to be named in order to speak about private financial matters, noted that PayPal relies on aggregators primarily for account verification and already has long-term pricing contracts in place.
While smaller fintechs that depend heavily on automated clearing house (ACH) rails or Open Banking frameworks for onboarding and compliance may face real pressure if the fees take effect, analysts said the larger platforms are largely insulated.