Tag Archives: Volkswagen

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Volkswagen ID.4 and ID.5: Plugging Into a £1500 Boost

It’s official — the Volkswagen ID.4 and ID.5 have just become a bit more wallet-friendly. Thanks to the UK’s revived Electric Car Grant (ECG), the German brand’s mid-size electric SUVs now qualify for a tidy £1500 discount, nudging prices down to a more tempting £35,495 for the entry-level variant.

That might not sound like much in the world of five-figure EVs, but in car-finance terms, it’s the difference between “hmm, maybe” and “go on then, where do I sign?”.

Volkswagen joins the affordable EV club

The grant applies to Pure Essential, Pure Match, and Pro Essential trims — the more rationally specced ID.4s and ID.5s. That means you can choose between a 168bhp single-motor, rear-drive setup with a 52 kWh battery (good for 221 miles), or a 282bhp twin-motor, all-wheel-drive configuration hooked up to the larger 77 kWh pack, stretching range to a healthier 339 miles.

It’s a pretty compelling mix: proper family-friendly space, decent shove, and the reassurance that you can make it from London to Leeds without playing charging-station roulette.

Volkswagen now has three cars on the ECG roster, joining the ID.3, which slipped under the price threshold earlier this summer and now starts at under £30k. For a brand often accused of letting its EVs hover just above the “sensible money” line, that’s a refreshing change of strategy.

The green light from Westminster

So what’s the catch? Eligibility isn’t just about price tags. The ECG is part of a broader government initiative to promote cleaner motoring, with technical and sustainability criteria baked in — covering everything from component sourcing to manufacturing emissions and shipping.

Out of the 38 electric models currently cleared for the grant, only the Ford Puma Gen-E and E-Tourneo Courier qualify for the higher £3750 level. But even the lower grant tier has been moving metal: the government reckons 20,000 EVs sold last month were ECG-supported.

That’s music to the ears of Keir Mather, the UK’s newly minted Decarbonisation Minister. At just 27, he’s the youngest cabinet minister in two centuries — and now has the unenviable job of steering Britain’s electrified future. His message? Simple. “We want your next car to be electric.”

Charging ahead

To be fair, there are signs it’s working. September saw record-breaking EV sales — more than 70,000 in one month — and the national charging network has just sailed past 83,000 public points, with 100,000 more planned.

So if you’ve been hovering on the fence, waiting for a sign from above (or from Wolfsburg), this might be it. The ID.4 and ID.5 are still unmistakably Volkswagens — solid, sensible, slightly conservative — but now they’re wearing a price tag that looks just a bit more rebellious.

Maybe the electric revolution isn’t coming. Maybe it’s already parked on your driveway — and now it costs £1500 less.

Source: Volkswagen

News

Volkswagen Cracks Down on Absenteeism as Job Cuts and Production Pauses Mount

Volkswagen’s turbulent 2025 just got even more complicated. Already grappling with slowing demand, production stoppages, and looming job reductions, the automaker is now taking a hard line with its own workforce.

According to its latest internal discipline report, VW dismissed 548 employees in the first half of 2025 for violating company rules. Another 2,079 staff received formal warnings over the same period, and the company expects those numbers to climb before year’s end.

The main culprit? Unexcused absences.

Bild reports that more than 300 workers at VW’s six major German sites—Wolfsburg, Braunschweig, Emden, Hanover, Salzgitter, and Kassel—have already been let go this year for absenteeism. That matches the tally for all of 2024, showing just how quickly management’s patience has worn thin.

This isn’t a small issue for VW. Brand boss Thomas Schäfer said last year that absenteeism costs the company about €1 billion ($1.17 billion) annually. More recently, employees were reminded via the company’s intranet that repeated absences without a valid reason could result in immediate dismissal.

To be clear, Volkswagen’s workforce is massive—more than 560,000 employees worldwide—so a few hundred terminations hardly move the needle statistically. But the firings highlight the company’s increasingly zero-tolerance approach to discipline as it prepares for broader workforce reductions. VW has already announced plans to cut 35,000 jobs in Germany by 2030.

Meanwhile, demand challenges are forcing VW to trim output at several plants. Production at its Zwickau and Dresden sites—both key EV hubs responsible for the ID.4 and ID.7—will be paused for a week starting October 6. At Osnabrück, where VW builds the T-Roc Cabriolet (a model set to bow out in 2026), the plant will close for one week this month and remain idle at least one day a week through year’s end.

If there’s any good news, it’s that not all models are suffering. VW says the Golf, Tiguan, and Tayron are enjoying strong demand, and Wolfsburg will add special shifts to keep up with orders through December.

Still, the broader picture is hard to ignore: a company tightening its belt, cracking down on its workforce, and facing a slower, more uncertain road ahead in Europe’s increasingly competitive automotive landscape.

Source: Bild

News

Volkswagen ID.3 GTX FIRE+ICE: A Retro Rave on Wheels

There are two kinds of people in this world: those who remember the Golf 2 Fire & Ice as a cultural moment, and those who were still in nappies. For the uninitiated, back in 1990 Volkswagen dropped a violet-hued, body-kitted special edition inspired by Willy Bogner’s cult ski film Fire and Ice (1986). It had spoilers, alloys, and just enough attitude to turn the Golf into a poster child for Europe’s fast-lane youth.

Fast forward three and a half decades, and Wolfsburg has gone digging through the crates of pop culture again—this time spinning the nostalgia at 7,000 rpm. Say hello to the ID.3 GTX FIRE+ICE: an all-electric, neon-glowing tribute act that’s half time machine, half Spotify playlist.

Back to the Future (With More Batteries)

Much like the film that spawned it, this isn’t just a car—it’s a vibe. Volkswagen hasn’t just sprayed a paint job and slapped on some badges; it’s paired up with BOGNER FIRE+ICE (yes, the luxury ski fashion lot), enlisted Grammy-winning DJ Purple Disco Machine, and convinced Jake Shears of Scissor Sisters fame to belt out a reworked version of the movie’s theme tune.

It’s part music video, part marketing fever dream: the old Golf 2 FIRE+ICE skids into frame, the new ID.3 GTX swoops in, and suddenly we’re living in a world where ‘80s ski stunts, retro synths, and EV torque all collide on the same frozen slope.

Volkswagen calls it “anchoring the brand in mainstream culture.” We call it the most German way imaginable to throw a disco on snow.

The Hardware

Strip away the neon and nostalgia, and what you’ve got is Volkswagen’s hot-hatch EV given a limited-edition glow-up. Only 1,990 units will be built (because of course they’re nodding to the year 1990), each packing the GTX badge—VW-speak for “yes, it’s actually quick.” Expect dual motors, sharp handling, and an electric shove that would leave even a turbocharged Mk2 Golf gasping for breath.

The paintwork? Exclusive, and designed to pop as hard on TikTok as it does on a ski slope. The interior? Tweaked with FIRE+ICE detailing. The whole thing? Designed to say “I could’ve been in an MTV Europe ad break in 1995.”

The Throwback

Let’s not forget the OG: the Golf 2 Fire & Ice. Violet paint. Fat alloys. Up to 160 horsepower. Designed by Bogner himself and very much the car you wanted if your VHS collection included ski films, Jean-Claude Van Damme flicks, and a worn-out copy of Top Gun. It was sporty, stylish, and just a little bit silly—the perfect recipe for cult status.

And now, Volkswagen’s banking on that same formula. But instead of petrol fumes, it’s pushing beats, branding, and battery packs.

Does the ID.3 GTX FIRE+ICE make sense? Not really. Do we want one? Absolutely. Because sometimes cars aren’t just transport—they’re mixtapes. And this one’s playing Purple Disco Machine at full volume, with a side of ski stunts and a wink to the past.

In short: Volkswagen just turned nostalgia into an EV rave, and we’re here for it.

Source: Volkswagen