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MUNICH. Harry Kane’s back garden. Home of Europe’s biggest motor show.
Volkswagen played a blinder with three new strikers — ID Polo, ID Polo GTI and ID Cross.
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They’re electric, obviously. But surprisingly affordable. ID Polo will cost £22k. That’s without any grants.
ID Polo GTI is not just a badge. It has proper hot hatch DNA — 226hp, limited-slip differential and special GTI mode that cuts power for a millisecond to simulate old-school gear changes.
I. Cannot. Wait.
ID Cross is a lush crossover with a lounge-like cabin, massaging seats and a top-notch sound system. Same footprint as a T-Cross but bigger inside.
I can wait for that one.
We told you all the names you know and love would transfer to VW’s electric cars. Guess what? They have. Next year ID4 will be completely overhauled and renamed ID Tiguan.
ID3 will eventually be substituted for ID Golf.
Don’t worry, petrol cars aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. They will co-exist alongside the EVs for several years yet. VW chief Thomas Schafer told me that himself.
He said: “It’s almost like playing for two soccer teams at the same time.”
He added: “ID Polo is a true Polo. The way it looks, the way it feels, the way it drives. Mobility for everyone, that’s what our name stands for — and that’s our promise.
“Next year will be 50 years of GTI. That’s the perfect time to launch our first electric GTI. It’s an amazing car. It’s awesome. It’s our athlete.”
Will these new kids last 90 minutes plus injury time? Sounds like it.
Maximum range is 280 miles from a 58kWh battery. The cheapest ID Polo will use a smaller 198-mile battery. All three cars will hit the road by the end of next year.
After that, VW will go smaller and even cheaper by reinventing Up! as a £17k electric city car.
It will be the first to use a faster- reacting “superbrain”, co-developed with tech firm Rivian.
I’m told it’s like going from a fax machine to Airdrop and controls all the car’s main functions.
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The full capability of the Rivian software will be unleashed in ID Golf and ID Golf GTI at the end of the decade.
Design boss Andreas Mindt said: “The next Golf is not allowed to make any mistakes. It needs to be flawless.”
Then we’ll have all of VW’s star names rebooted for the electric age.
Back of the net zero.
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HERE’S the next-gen Skoda Octavia seven or eight years from now.
It could be electric or a petrol range-extender. Or both.
Bosses will wait to see how things go.
What we do know is that it has been designed “from the inside out”.
In other words, comfort and usability come first.
We like the thin “Horizon Display” running across the entire width of the dash.
We like the integrated fridge and Bluetooth portable speakers. We like all of it.
Huge 650-litre boot and every door has an umbrella in it.
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YOU know a Fabia is a Polo is an Ibiza, right? So you won’t be surprised to learn the upcoming Skoda Epiq, and Cupra Raval will use the same menu of parts as the Volkswagen ID Polo and ID Cross.
All four cars will be built at the same factory in Spain. Epiq blends practicality and smart design.
Raval has attitude and will be a hit with the yoof. Both go on sale next year.
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SOMEONE message Batman to tell him his new motor’s ready.
Cupra’s radical Tindaya hasn’t got rocket launchers, electromagnetic pulse jammers or a line launcher for climbing skyscrapers in Gotham City.
But it looks mega from every angle.
Everything is controlled by a jewel-like glass prism in the centre console.
Tindaya will become a real car you can buy. But not until the early 2030s.
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UNLIKE German firms that build cars with a family look, Hyundai likes to mix things up.
Ioniq 5 is a big angular hatchback. Ioniq 6 is an arc-shaped saloon.
Ioniq 9 is a boxy family-friendly SUV.
Next up is a small electric hatch previewed by Ioniq THREE.
The real thing won’t look as Hot Wheels as this.
But you certainly won’t confuse it with anything else on the road.
Another top job by Brit designer Simon Loasby.
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THERE’S you thinking “Mercedes A-Class”.
Nope. It’s a £28k electric hatch from Leapmotor. The sporty B05 should be good . . . 218hp, multi-link rear axle, 19in alloys, 270-mile range.
Just order some Merc stickers off t’interweb.
Out next summer. B05 will be followed by A05, a supermini, and A10, a mini SUV.
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DON’T worry, this inductive charging mat won’t frazzle your cat.
The energy transfer is “automatically interrupted if a living creature gets between the vehicle and the floor plate” says Porsche.
The tech launches next year with the new Cayenne.
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OK, it’s another SUV.
But all the design and technology in BMW’s iX3 will be injected into 40 new models over the next two years, petrol and electric.
Even better, it’s £6k cheaper than the old iX3 at £59k and nudges 500 miles.
Hurry up with the i3 saloon.
