VW beats Tesla to the Model 2 punch with cheap ID.2 hatch offering 280-mile range

While Tesla is twiddling its thumbs over the announcement of an actual vehicle that will be built on its next-generation EV platform for mass market electric cars, other automakers are coming up with tangible alternatives. The most formidable Tesla Model 2 competitor was just fleshed out by none other than Volkswagen which earlier in the week earmarked US$127 billion for EV and battery development by 2028.

Just as rumored, the VW ID.2all is a true people's car in the vein of the storied Volkswagen Golf line. In fact, VW said that the electric ID.2all concept is as big as a Golf, but will come at the price of a tiny Polo when it is released in 2025. At the equivalent of US$26,400 at launch, the ID.2all will be one of the most affordable electric cars from a major automaker.

According to VW's head of brand management Thomas Schäfer: "We are implementing the transformation at pace to bring electric mobility to the masses." The VW ID.2all will probably end up at the coveted sub-US$25,000 price with government subsidies that Tesla will also be gunning for with the Model 2 that is still in the planning stage.

Needless to say, if someone can pull off a mass market EV at scale and with costs kept in check, this would be Tesla. With the announcement of the ID.2all, however, VW just made the Model 2 an even more pressing matter for the world's biggest EV maker.

As for the ID.2all specs, its range is envisioned to be 280 miles on a charge, or as much as the base Model 3. The Model 2 is expected to offer similar range as a component analysis pegged it as 30% lighter than the Model 3 and with 25% smaller battery that would, however, basically offer the same range as the Model 3 due to the more compact body.

Volkswagen also added that the ID.2all will come with a front wheel drive option, a 166 kW (226 HP) electric motor, a new infotainment system, and driver assistance features with a level of vehicle autonomy that is yet to be specified.

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