As the year draws to a close, Volkswagen is looking ahead to a particularly busy 2026, backed by a strong product offensive. The company’s sales chief, Martin Sander, says Wolfsburg is gearing up for “unprecedented launch activities” worldwide. These will include updates to existing models as well as new additions to the brand’s already massive portfolio.
Speaking with Automotive News, Sander reaffirmed VW’s plans to launch the ID. Polo with a relatively attractive €25,000 starting price. The electric supermini will be followed shortly by a production version of the ID. Cross concept, essentially the same electric Polo reimagined as an SUV. The two EVs will mirror the relationship between today’s Polo and T-Cross, both of which are powered by combustion engines.
VW is also preparing to roll out new versions of the ID.3 and ID.4, although the sales chief stopped short of clarifying whether these will be all-new generations or facelifts of the current models. Reports suggest the two EVs will receive updates rather than transition to entirely new versions. What is confirmed is that both cars will adopt a “completely new design language,” according to development boss Kai Grünitz.
Beyond the fresh styling, the ID.3 and ID.4 are slated to gain improved interiors with higher-quality materials and a return to (some) physical buttons. Grünitz has previously described the changes as more than cosmetic, citing “a lot of improvements in terms of battery costs and performance.” He even went so far as to promise “a huge improvement” for the electric duo. Curiously, the ID.5 wasn't mentioned, although it may have something to do with rumors about the swoopy SUV going the way of the dodo in 2027.
There’s more on the horizon. Sander revealed that VW will launch an electric vehicle with a range-extending gasoline engine in China next year. Previewed earlier this year by the ID. Era concept, the model was co-developed with SAIC as a full-size, three-row SUV offering a combined range of more than 621 miles (1,000 kilometers). In pure electric mode, it’s expected to travel up to 186 miles (300 kilometers) on a single charge.
China will also see the debut of two A-segment electric cars built on a locally developed platform. These will differ from the ID. Every1, which is slated to arrive in Europe in 2027 as VW’s entry-level EV with a starting price of around €20,000.
The United States isn’t being overlooked either, with new hybrids in the pipeline. That said, Sander noted that American buyers still tend to favor pure combustion-engine vehicles.
Overall, the product onslaught leans heavily toward EVs, as the German brand “strongly believes that the future is electric.” Even so, VW acknowledges it will take time before electric cars can match the profitability of combustion-engine models. Sander declined to estimate when EV margins will reach parity with ICEs.
The electric push won’t end with the models planned for 2026. One of the company’s most significant debuts is expected toward the end of the decade, with the arrival of the new Golf. The ninth-generation model will be sold exclusively as an EV, although, as with the conventionally powered Polo, the combustion-engine version will remain in production.
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