Revisions to the ID range, including the arrival of the ID.2all SUV, won’t have apparent bearing on South Africa where attention focuses on the incoming SUV due in 2027.
With production of the Polo now exclusively radiating from the Kariega plant in the Eastern Cape, Volkswagen has indicated that it will make substantial revisions to it entire ID range of electric vehicles by 2026, including the unveiling of the delayed ID.2all.
‘Replacement’s arrival
Originally supposed to have replaced the Polo by 2025, the implementation of the less stringent Euro 6e emissions regulations has been cited as the reason for the ID.2all being pushed back to 2026.
ALSO READ: Volkswagen Polo now made exclusively in South Africa
The delay, which has made it possible for Volkswagen to continue with Polo sales until at least the end of the decade, will therefore result in the ID.2all become a reality in the same year as the ID.2all SUV that will eventually replace the T-Cross on the Old Continent.
Co-existence of combustion and EV
Announcing the ID revisions, as well as a second facelift for the Polo in 2025, Volkswagen’s Head of Research for Development, Kai Grünitz, said that apart from external updates, a reduction in internal combustion offerings will still take place as it continues to focus on electrification.
Admitting that Wolfsburg won’t abandon the segment entirely as per the rapid slowdown in EV sales in Europe, Grünitz told Britain’s Autocar that sticking with the current combustion engine and the electric MEB platforms comes with a considerable cost in up-keep and that possible integration of the latter into the former remains viable.
Stating that the updated ID models will incorporate an appearance that “goes back to where we came from”, Grünitz added that the production ID.2all will usher the changes in with an anticipated debut set for late next year or early 2026.
By comparison, the ID.2all SUV, which will ride on the MEB Entry platform, will be showcased as a pre-production concept at the IAA in Munich in September.
The much speculated GTI version of the ID.2all, the ID. GTI Concept that premiered at the same event in 2023, will seemingly also go on-sale in 2026 with Grünitz telling the publication that Volkswagen’s ideas for it “will surprise” when it debuts.
For the moment, neither the ID.2all or ID.2all SUV are destined for South Africa, the former as a result of the Polo, and the latter due to the incoming new SUV that will produced locally at the facility located in the town previously called Uitenhage from 2027.
Already unveiled in India by sister brand Skoda as the Kylaq, the newcomer will wear the Tera name in South America and forms part of a joint venture between India, South America and South Africa for a model designed for developing markets.
The result of a R4-billion investment into the Kariega plant, the Tera will swap-out the Kylaq’s Skoda styling language for a Volkswagen appearance that will most likely be derived from South America specific models such as the Polo Track and Nivus.
While teaser images seemingly suggest a Touareg-like appearance, the Tera could also incorporate elements from the Tiguan judging by the mentioned depiction.
As in India, the Tera will utilise the familiar 1.0 TSI engine, but with revisions to run on bio-ethanol which, as in the Nivus (Taigo) and Virtus (Polo Sedan), will see power increase from 85 kW to 96 kW and torque from 170 Nm to 200 Nm.
As it stands, no details about the South African-market Tera is known, with the same applying to its retention of the moniker or possibly debuting under a different name.
A clearer explanation is, however, expected at Volkswagen’s now annual product indaba that will take place in February next year.
NOW READ: EU exports continuing as Volkswagen U-turns on Polo’s demise
