The ID. Life could be the Volkswagen ID.2

It’s called the ID. Life – likely to be badged ID.2 by the time it’s in production – and it’s VW’s star concept at the IAA Munich show this week. Unusually for a car still over three years away, VW is pledging its price – “It will cost approximately 20,000 euros” – but not yet its design, saying the concept you see here “gives an impression” of how this small urban crossover will finally appear. 

How it looks now is… Tonka toy chunky, with a retro vibe reminiscent of the Honda e. “Timeless” is how VW describes it. We welcome it for striking a fresh look, quite distinct from the other ID. electric models, indeed different from anything else around. 

Underneath it’s familiar though. It is based on a new short-wheelbase and front-drive version of the increasingly ubiquitous MEB electric architecture, used across the VW empire and claimed by VW to be the most scalable electrical architecture in the industry. In due course it is sure to underpin different looking Skoda and Seat versions, all coming from the group’s designated small electric-car plant in Barcelona. 

The ID. Life aims to tick all the boxes for a new younger generation of electric car buyers, hence the entry-level positioning and funky design but also an emphasis on the “life” in its name. Pared-back design, minimalist interior, recycled materials, lots of connectivity, cool lighting effects and, in the concept car, a removable roof all feature. 

But best of all this is its own video games console! And it has a projector with a screen that extends out of the dashboard for watching films. The two bench seats fold down to make “cinema seating” – and if the movie puts you to sleep you can fold them completely flat to make a 2m long bed.

The first front-wheel-drive ID. model in this concept form gets a 234PS (172 kW) electric motor and 57kWh batteries for 0-62mph in 6.9 seconds and a range of 248 miles. The future of urban mobility? Could be.