Introduction to Electric Vehicles
When the chief designer of Volkswagen, Andreas Mindt, looks at the electrical ID.Polo, he sees a friendly, familiar face. And that is exactly the point. Mindt stood in front of the still hollowed model at the IAA Auto Show in Munich and described a departure from the futuristic, saves of the latest ID models.
Design Approach
"If you look at the face here, it is very optimistic," said Mindt, pointing to the front. "It is uplifting. All lines rise in such a way that it looks friendly and positive and optimistic." A similar approach is visible in this year’s IAA mobility show, in which European car manufacturers rethink design and marketing for the electric vehicle. Many fight to expand the attraction of their EV offers and now emphasize the brand awareness of novelty.
Welcome Home
Mercedes has announced that the design range for burning engines and electric vehicles is merged for upcoming models. The motto "Welcome Home" takes place when the brand approaches its 140th year of existence. And while BMW’s new IX3 Electric SUV is impressively modern in the outside and interior, the legendary front grill – known as the kidneys – became a series from the 1960s, the "new class" ("new class").
Shift in Design
But it is Volkswagen in which the shift is the most visible. Days before this year’s IAA mobility exhibition, the company announced that the well-known name Convention for the ID family scraped. It began with ID.2, which now describes the ID.Polo, according to a model that was known to generations of European drivers. "You have to stay modern, you have to be ahead of the curve," said Thomas Schäfer, CEO of the Volkswagen brand and Minds boss. "But you also have to stay loyal to the brand."
Back to the Basics
The vehicle also looks more like a traditional polo, with its slimmer profile, stronger lines and exposed bike boxes. In its interior, the return of physical keys to control functions such as climate control – a customer demand – will take place. The exterior also has thicker taillights, said Mindt, one of several characteristics that are supposed to indicate robustness. "You look like thick glass, whiskey glasses, do you know what I mean? It’s not like a champagne glass that breaks."
Return to Familiar Design
The design is a return for the car company based in Wolfsburg, Germany, which after the 2015 diesel emission scandal was only seriously received by EV production. The new CEO Herbert Diess was an advocate of the transformation and a pronounced admirer of Elon Musk, who then converted Tesla into the world’s largest electric car producers, a position that Volkswagen is desired. This kept control of the Volkswagen brand, technically a separate position to shield the design and release of its first specially built electric car, the ID.3.
Making a True Volkswagen
When Schäfer took over the Volkswagen brand in 2022, he crowded against the prevailing ID design and marketing. "When I spoke to the team, what do we have to do to make a real Volkswagen again?" Schäfer said. Design was a large part. Schäfer dismissed the company’s design in 2024 and hired Mindt. His instructions: "He wanted a real, real Volkswagen," said Mindt.
The Future of Electric Vehicles
The company now counts on its work in order to pay off. The ID.Polo shares its drive system with five other models that are to be launched by Volkswagen in the coming months, including a GTI variant and new offers from Skoda and Cupra. Winning the size is important for the car manufacturer, which is exposed to a harder market. The competition of Chinese automobile manufacturers is more violent and even the premise of the electrical drive systems by increasing populist politics and the return of Donald Trump to the US presidency. For Design Chief Mindt, this split is another reason to concentrate on what it calls "uplifting" design. Buyers will understand his intention with ID.Polo, even if they cannot explain it. "Sometimes you don’t have to explain that," said Mindt. "You feel it with your heart."
