A new electric city car for the masses has been revealed in production form, with the 2026 Volkswagen ID. Polo and ID. Polo GTI, shown ahead of their IAA Mobility Show debut in Munich next week.
Previously, VW showed the ID. 2all concept, with motifs from the Golf Mk4 and Polo. Teasers for the ID. Polo have been revealed, wearing comic book, 1990s dot-matrix style patterns to disguise the contours.
What we can see is a clean interpretation of VW’s passenger car design language, with illuminated VW symbols front and rear. Neat five-spoke wheels give the car a hot hatch stance, with concealed rear door handles echoing the ID. 2all concept.
Underpinning the ID. Polo will be the MEB Entry platform – in 38kWh and 56kWh guises. Other recipients of this platform will be the Skoda Epiq and Cupra Raval. Measuring 4053mm long, 1816mm wide and 1530mm tall, the ID. Polo sits firmly in the Light Car category.
Additionally, the VW ID. Cross – a crossover iteration of this car – and, more importantly to us driving fans, the ID. Polo GTI will be shown at Munich. The GTI will be a 166kW electric hot hatch.
The significance of the ID. Polo GTI cannot be overstated as it reflects Volkswagen’s strategy to bring electrification to its traditionally-named lineup of Golf, Passat and Polo, rather than ID. 3, 4, etc.
It is the brand’s first electric GTI – a move that could be echoed in its bigger brother, Golf GTI at some stage in the future. It will rival the Peugeot E-208 GTI, Alpine A290, as well as Chinese rivals such as the MG4 XPower.
It’s understood the ID. Polo will be sold alongside the combustion-powered Polo for a certain period. We will bring you more 2025 Munich auto show news as it breaks.
