Volkswagen has decided to do away with prefixes like ID and bring back more traditional names. The German automobile giant believes this will help keep the lineup ‘simple and accessible’. The company is yet to reveal more information, but the change is expected to begin in 2026.
Volkswagen becomes the fourth German automaker to take this decision, following Mercedes-Benz’s decision to pull the plug on the EQ brand, BMW’s shift with the i Series, and Audi’s choice to drop odd numbers for internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles and even numbers for electric vehicles (EVs).
Going back to the basics
It’s now official. The ID electric range from Volkswagen will soon come to an end. According to the car company, buyers and customers do not like their cars to mirror code, which is full of prefixes and random numbers. The automobile manufacturer confirmed in an interview that the ID lineup will be rebranded, which includes EVs like ID.3, ID.4, ID.Buzz and the upcoming ID.2 and ID. EVERY1. The company will soon announce the new names.
Volkswagen Board Member Martin Sander spoke to Austrian media outlet, Auto und Wirtschaft, saying, “The cars will be given real names again. The question arises specifically with the market launch of new models – neither the ID. 2all nor the ID. EVERY1 will be called that in series production. We will announce this when the time comes.”
Competitive China market
The world’s largest EV market, China, is one cutthroat place. Many legacy companies have tried to compete with the local EV makers, but have been put to the cleaners. Sander admitted that the market is price sensitive, and this is the reason why Volkswagen is in choppy waters at the moment, as its ID.7 has not been able to set the sales charts on fire.
He said, “In China, the market for electric cars is extremely competitive, and even new models are sometimes launched by competitors at high discounts. This is also a challenge for the ID.7, which is so successful in other markets. However, in this difficult environment, we are not focusing on short-term market successes, but are pursuing a sustainable growth plan. Therefore, we do not buy market share, but invest in our long-term strategic goals.”
