Polo, Golf, Passat. These have been best sellers in VW’s home region for decades, while in China it’s Bora and Lavida, with Gol a household name in South America and Jetta the brand’s cornerstone in the US. Many SUVs have been added in the 2010s to supplement the global car line-up, plus an onslaught of EVs has begun. As the ID family expands during the next decade, might some famous car names vanish?
An ID.2 is said to be due for launch in mainly European markets in 2023 or 2024. It would be a rival for the Peugeot e-208, Renault Zoe and others in that size class. The platform – either MEB or the shorter MEB-K version – has not been confirmed. There is even a chance that it could (eventually) replace the Polo although it seems unlikely that Volkswagen would fail to launch a new generation of its big-selling long-time B segment hatchback.
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The most famous VW of all could returning in the 2020s, albeit it with a new name. Officially, the company’s only retro model will be an electric Bulli/Kombi/Microbus but this has not stopped rumours and speculation that the Beetle could re-appear. The thinking is that Volkswagen may be able to build a business case for a rear-wheel drive MEB architecture EV. The body might even have rear doors; that’s if the styling department can pull off the tricky task of creating an authentic silhouette. Potentially, an ID. Bugg may appear in 2023 or 2024.
Will the year-old Golf be the final generation of this long-lived model name? It will surely be the last non-electric one at least, the car which would be due to replace generation eight in 2026 – if there is one – might be named ID.3 Golf. That scenario would save Volkswagen money by merging Golf 9 and ID.3 Mark 2 into the one project, the resulting vehicle likely being a little larger than today’s ID.3. It’s too early to say if there would only be a five-door hatchback but an ID.3 Golf Variant/Estate is a possibility.
Globally, there are three Passats, so let’s first look at the model built in Germany and sold mostly in Europe. The next Passat Variant (wagon) and China’s replacement for the all but identical Magotan (sedan) won’t arrive until 2023.
There were reports in July stating that the future Passat and Škoda Superb for European markets would now be built at the Group’s Bratislava base. These proved to be true with Volkswagen confirming this in November and that build would not commence until 2023. What the company didn’t say but which soon emerged, was that the next Passat would be a Variant (estate) only. This is due to German buyers’ preference for the wagon. This might also mean that the next Superb won’t be offered as a Combi (estate).
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By GlobalDataThe US-built Passat won’t be replaced either. This car is supposed to stay in production until 2023 but given how old it is (launched in 2011) and the low sales volume, it surely won’t last that long.
While there won’t be a new sedan for European and other relevant countries, China’s FAW Volkswagen JV should have one to succeed the Magotan, positioned below SAIC VW’s Passat, a larger model. This, the third of the three global Passats, is also the youngest, having arrived just two years ago (Europe’s dates to late 2014).
Two electric cars – a sedan and crossover/estate – will also serve as the VW brand’s alternative to the Passat in the D segment. They might in fact be a little larger as they will also replace the much admired but not very popular Arteon and Arteon Shooting Brake.
Volkswagen insiders speak of a concept called Aero1, ID. Aero or just or Aero which may be exhibited at a motor show in 2021. Other than the names, few details of what should result in an eventual series production vehicle are known. The body style should be a sedan and production will be at the Emden plant in Germany. The latter fact was stated in a November (2020) press release:
“At the Volkswagen’s brand plant in Emden, the transformation is also progressing rapidly: while the construction work for the switch to electric mobility is fully on track, the second electric model for the site has now been defined. In addition to the ID.4, the four-door all-electric Volkswagen Aero is scheduled to be manufactured there from 2023”.
The Aero hatchback and Aero Shooting Brake should be on sale in Europe and possibly China too, from late 2023.
The Arteon itself is now less than a year away from a facelift. Along with the addition of the estate, Arteon eHybrid (PHEV) versions of both were announced a few weeks ago. The claimed range in EV mode is up to 59 km (Arteon) or 57 km (Arteon Shooting Brake) and the cars can be driven on the energy stored in the battery alone at speeds of up to 130 km/h.
The 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine and single motor have combined power of 160 kW (218 PS) and torque of 400 Nm. Both cars accelerate from 0–100 km/h in 7.8 seconds and have top speeds of 222 km/h. It is not yet known if China’s Volkswagen CC equivalents will also have the PHEV treatment.
Reports for many other manufacturers’ future models are grouped in the OEM product strategy summaries section of just-auto.com.
Future platform intelligence
More detail on past, current and forthcoming models can be found in PLDB, the future vehicles database which is part of GlobalData’s Automotive Intelligence Center. That includes many other Volkswagen piston-powered and electric models not reported on above.
This is the first in a series of reports highlighting certain current and future models from the passenger vehicle divisions of Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft. Next comes a second chapter on the VW brand, which concerns pick-ups and SUVs. After that, it’s Audi cars, Audi SUVs, Porsche, Škoda, SEAT and Cupra, Bentley, Lamborghini and Bugatti.
