Volkswagen ID. EVERY1 – A car for everyone or a generic product with no identity?
- Alan Lučić
- Mar 10
- 5 min read
Volkswagen ID. EVERY1 is presented as an electric car for the masses – affordable, adaptable and ready for the future. However, behind attractive slogans and promises, several key questions are hidden:
Is this really a car for everyone, or is Volkswagen creating a uniform model aimed at fleets and corporate customers?
How to ID. Does EVERY1 fit into a market where there are already other low-cost electric models with similar specifications?
What is the brand's goal and how does Volkswagen plan to gain an advantage over its competitors?
These questions open a wider debate about the future of the automotive industry, the role of individualization and consumer preferences in the era of electrification.
A car for the masses or corporate fleets?
Volkswagen's emphasis on accessibility and simplicity raises a dilemma – is the ID. EVERY1 truly intended as a personal car for every customer, or is it actually targeting mass customers such as taxi services, rental car companies and companies looking to reduce fleet costs?
Specifications such as a range of 250 km and an emphasis on a price of €20,000 suggest that it could be attractive to fleet buyers, where reducing ownership costs is key, not necessarily providing an individualized driving experience.
The taxi and car-sharing industry are already looking for such models - electric, cheap to maintain, easy to charge and without the extra "luxury" elements that private customers often want.
If the Volkswagen ID. EVERY1 becomes a dominant fleet model, will this affect its perception among individual customers? Will a customer want to drive the same car they see in a taxi service or in companies as a company car?
Is Volkswagen losing the emotion that customers want?
Cars are more than just a means of transportation – they are a symbol of personal expression, freedom and status. If the ID. EVERY1 ends up as a fleet generic model, this could affect its appeal to individual buyers.
Examples from the past: When cars like the Toyota Prius or Ford Mondeo became dominant fleet models, private buyers often avoided them because they were perceived as 'corporate' cars.
The Volkswagen Golf and Polo have always had a 'soul' and emotion with customers, but if the ID. EVERY1 becomes too generic, it could lose that advantage.
The question remains: if the Volkswagen ID. EVERY1 becomes “for everyone,” does that mean it is actually for no one?
What about the competition in the low-cost EV segment?
Volkswagen claims that ID. EVERY1 won't have competition on price, but that's not exactly true. There are already low-cost electric models with similar characteristics on the market:
Dacia Spring – A cheaper model with a shorter range, but with an already established reputation as an affordable EV.
Citroën ë-C3 – An inexpensive electric city car that also targets the mass market with a range of around 300 km and a starting price of under €25,000.
Renault 5 EV – A modern electric car with a strong emotional element and retro design, which gives it differentiation.
Chinese brands (BYD, MG, Ora) – They are strongly entering the European market with aggressive prices and better specifications.
Volkswagen Challenge: How to be different?
If everyone offers cheap EV models, why would customers choose the ID. EVERY1? Volkswagen's only trump card may be:
Trusted German engineering quality – But can it justify the price difference?
Brand loyalty – Although Volkswagen has a strong name, younger customers are not as loyal to brands as older generations.
Software innovation – VW promises a completely new software architecture, but they have already had serious problems with software development (Cariad).
Unless Volkswagen offers something truly different, the ID. EVERY1 risks becoming just another generic “cheap EV” in a sea of similar models.
Volkswagen's brand goal – Return to mass mobility or loss of identity?
Volkswagen has historically been a symbol of mass mobility, but times have changed.
The brand has transformed – from a people's car to a premium brand with models like the Touareg and Arteon.
Electrification changes perception – Will ID. will the series be synonymous with innovation and prestige or will it end up as a generic low-cost EV brand?
Will new buyers accept VW as a "budget brand" or will they prefer to choose a competitor that offers better design, range and innovation?
Volkswagen claims that it wants to be a technological leader among mass production manufacturers by 2030, but will ID. EVERY1 to be a product that creates emotion and recognition, or just another attempt at mass production without identity?
Conclusion: Can Volkswagen be innovative without losing its soul?
Volkswagen is at a turning point:
If the ID. EVERY1 becomes too uniform and generic, it risks losing its appeal to individual buyers who want a car with character.
If it targets corporate fleets too much, it may become a “taxi car” that private customers do not want to buy.
If it doesn't offer real innovation and differentiation from other low-cost EVs, it could lose the market battle against brands that already offer similar cars.
Volkswagen wants to be a “car for everyone,” but in an era of personalization and individuality, customers may want less uniformity and more choice and authenticity.
Am I wrong? Maybe. But one thing is certain – the car of the future is not only cheap and accessible, but also adapted to the personal wishes and style of the customer. Volkswagen will have to decide whether the ID. EVERY1 will be a symbol of mobility or just another generic model on the market.
If we look at the history of the automotive industry through the prism of the adoption and diffusion of innovations, we clearly see that innovations do not occur in a linear manner, but in cycles. What we perceive as revolutions today is often just a reinterpretation of old ideas in a new technological context.
Volkswagen ID. EVERY1 is nothing but a modern iteration of the Volkswagen Beetle - the "people's car", which was once synonymous with mass mobility and simplicity. Today, that idea is reincarnated in the form of an affordable electric vehicle. However, history teaches us that uniformity and "one car for all" are not permanent solutions - consumers quickly get fed up with uniformity and look for differentiation.
If we look at innovation in a broader context, we are always presenting old concepts in new technological guises. Smartphones have become modern “communicators” from science fiction movies, electric cars are a throwback to early attempts at electrification from the 19th century, and Volkswagen is now repeating the formula for mass mobility, but through electric propulsion and software architecture.
The question is whether the ID. EVERY1 will repeat the success of the Beetle – or will it remain another technology cycle that the market will quickly outpace with new consumer needs? History suggests that mass models can succeed, but only if they are continuously adapted to consumer demands. If Volkswagen does not recognize the trends of individualization and the need for expression through the product, the ID. EVERY1 could be just another attempt at mass innovation that has not survived the test of time.
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