Volkswagen on Sunday unveiled the ID.CROSS, a concept for a compact electric SUV aimed at bringing more affordable battery-powered vehicles to market, as Europe’s largest carmaker faces pressure from rising competition, weak demand, and global trade tensions.
Priced between 28,000 and 30,000 euros ($32,780–$35,121), the ID.CROSS is positioned above the ID.Polo hatchback and joins a wave of new models Volkswagen expects to launch through 2025. “We’ve always faced major challenges,” Chief Executive Oliver Blume told reporters ahead of the Munich auto show. “But we didn’t hold back,” he said, highlighting the group’s plan to bring about 60 new vehicles to market within two years.
Though it shares the 2,601 mm wheelbase of the ID.Polo, the ID.CROSS is 108 mm longer and 58 mm taller, offering 490 liters of luggage space in the rear and a small 25-liter front trunk, a first for Volkswagen’s ID range.
The SUV features bold design cues including LED light signatures, illuminated C-pillars inspired by the ID.Buzz and classic VW Bus, and 21-inch wheels with patterned Continental tires.
Inside, the cabin blends digital convenience with physical usability, combining a 13-inch touchscreen and 11-inch digital cluster with physical climate buttons and a rotary controller.
Volkswagen says ambient lighting, fabric finishes, and fold-flat seats were designed to create a calming, lounge-like interior.
The concept’s powertrain delivers a WLTP range of 261 miles (420 km) with 208 hp from a front-mounted motor, slightly under the output of the forthcoming ID.Polo GTI.
While officially a concept, Volkswagen stressed that next year’s production model will closely resemble the ID.CROSS, including details such as its production-ready interior door handles.
The launch comes as European automakers struggle to keep pace with lower-cost Chinese EVs while dealing with U.S. tariffs and declining margins in their home market.
Volkswagen itself is undergoing sweeping cost cuts, including plans to reduce more than 35,000 jobs and scale down German plant capacity, as it seeks to maintain profitability while investing heavily in electrification.
