Volkswagen has launched a new Polo, but it may not be the one you’re thinking. The Volkswagen ID Polo has been unveiled and it is the first all-electric version of the hatchback that has been loved the world-over. While many may not be happy with the idea of an electric VW Polo, the ID Polo looks to be quite promising. The new ID Polo is based on Volkswagen’s MEB+ platform and the pre-bookings for the EV have started in global markets.
The VW ID Polo is the first car to adapt to the company’s new Pure Positive design language. The car is 4,053mm in length, 1,816mm in width, and 1,530mm in height and has a wheelbase of 2,600mm. The hatchback has connecting headlamps at the front, with a new, sleeker headlight design. The front bumper looks very clean with two vertical intakes on the edges and an air damp in the middle of the bumper.
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Over to the side, the VW ID Polo has prominent creases and flared fenders that give the car a sporty look. VW says that the C-pillar design is inspired by the original VW Golf. The ID Polo also has the rear door handle integrated within the C-pillar, a design detail we have often seen in other modern hatchbacks. We get 19-inch alloy wheels which seem to be sufficiently big for a 4-meter hatchback.
On the rear the ID Polo gets a connected tail lamp treatment. The rather boxy connected taillights meet at an illuminated VW logo. The rear looks completely new and has little to no resemblance to the ICE version of the VW Polo. The rear bumper, like the front one, has a rather clean design and a sort of a diffuser-like bottom cladding.
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Coming to the battery and performance, the VW ID Polo has been launched in two battery options – a 37kWh battery and a 52kWh battery. Both are mated to the same electric motor mounted to the front wheels, producing 119 bhp and 290Nm of power lower-end variants and 135bhp and 290Nm of torque for the higher-end variants of the 32kWh battery.
The 52kWh battery, on the other hand offers 211bhp of power and 290Nm of torque. Volkswagen has said that a GTI version of the ID Polo is in the works which will come with 226 bhp of power. In terms of range, the 32kWh battery is claimed to offer up to 329 kilometers of range, and the 52kWh battery is expected to offer up to 454 kilometers of range.
In terms of interiors and features, the ID Polo has a very minimalistic interior (very Tesla-like) but the car is very well-equipped. There is a 13-inch infotainment display which sits in the middle of the dashboard. This supports wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay and is the centre for most of the controls and settings of the car. Below it are the AC vents and an array of physical controls for things like climate control, defoggers, hazard lights, and more.
The VW ID Polo also gets wireless charging, and there is a rotary knob for media control, along with a pair of cup holders in the center console. There is also a new two-spoke steering wheel which is also heated, a 10-inch digital instrument cluster, dual-zone climate control, ambient lighting, leather upholstery, adaptive cruise control, and more. The ID Polo also comes with features like Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) functionality.
Now, if we will get this in India is highly unlikely. The VW ID Polo has been launched at a price of EUR 25,000 in the European market. This converts to roughly 27 lakh rupees in India, which is very high for an electric hatchback. In India, even the sub ₹15-lakh EVs are positioned as sub-4 meter SUVs, which may also mean changing the Polo’s positioning for the Indian market, something very unlikely for the brand to consider, given that EVs still are a hit or miss in a market like India. We can, however, expect a limited run if the EV market in India picks up.
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