VW has reportedly delayed the launch of its vitally important ID.2 electric hatch from 2025 to 2026, but we’ll still learn plenty about it this fall because Cupra is pushing ahead with the reveal of the Raval, its version of the ID.2, which is seen here during testing.

The Raval, ID.2 hatch, an ID.2 crossover and Skoda’s upcoming Epiq SUV are all built around a new, shorter version of VW’s MEB electric car platform. In addition to being resized to suit cars smaller than the Golf-sized ID.3, the tiniest of VW’s current EVs, the new architecture also places a single motor at the front driving the front wheels, the reverse of the main MEB platform where the motor is at the rear.

Related: VW’s Cheapest EV Yet Hides In Plain Sight Behind Someone Else’s Face

Both the Raval and ID.2 have been shown in concept form powered by a  single 223 hp (225 PS / 166 kW) electric motor, and VW’s ID.GTI concept teased a 429 hp (435 PS / 250 kW) dual-motor configuration. However, most versions of both cars will be packing far less firepower because the key draw of the Raval and ID.2 won’t be big power figures but a low starting price: the pair is expected to start at around €25,000 (£21k, $29k).

To hit that target, the base models will reportedly come with a small 38 kWh battery whose 186-mile (300 km) range will make it best suited to urban work, while an available 56 kWh pack will be capable of running 273 miles (440 km) between charges. A 125 kW peak charge capacity means a 10-80 percent fill should take around 20 minutes.

This Raval prototype hasn’t dropped much disguise since we last saw one, but the close-up shot of the front end reveals plenty about how the finished car will look when the covers are pulled off at the IAA auto show in Germany this fall. Poking out from behind the fake headlight stickers are the real lights, which appear to be triangular, and different in shape to the ones seen on the Raval concept car.

The close-ups also show that Cupra’s engineers have tried to obscure both the vertical air vents at each corner and much of the large black grille with white-painted plastic. Another deviation from the concept is the hood, which is more inset and has a pronounced M-shape at its leading edge, a result of the V8-style twin hood bulges.

In keeping with its more flamboyant design, the Raval should also be a little sharper to driver than the ID.2 courtesy of Cupra’s traditionally more aggressive suspension setup. So, if you were in the market for a small EV, would you go for the Raval or wait for the ID.2?

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Volkswagen previewed the upcoming ID.2 GTI with a concept at the 2023 Munich Motor Show, and a new report suggests it could be followed by a hardcore ID.2 R. If things pan out, it could be even more powerful than the 2025 Golf R.

According to a report from Autocar, the German carmaker is considering an ID.2 R as part of a wider effort to “explore the potency and torque-vectoring potential of hub motors.” While the model hasn’t been approved at this point, it could have a high-tech powertrain that mixes ‘old’ with new.

More: VW ID. GTI Concept Is A Hot ID.2 With Fake Gearshifts That’s Coming In 2026

In particular, the car could use the front-mounted motor from the ID.2 GTI. It could be joined by two rear in-wheel motors, giving the hot hatch a tri-motor all-wheel drive system. The report suggests we can expect an output of around 400 hp (298 kW / 406 PS), which would eclipse the 328 hp (245 kW / 333 PS) Golf R.

Besides packing plenty of power, the tri-motor powertrain would allow for impressive handling. This would reportedly be aided by “predictive torque distribution, brake-based yaw control, and dynamic drive modes.”

Little else is known about the car at this point, but it would likely feature the usual R upgrades. As a result, we can expect unique interior and exterior styling as well as a sportier driving experience.

ID.2 Continues Testing

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Spy photographers recently snapped an ID.2 prototype disguised as a Polo and now they’ve caught another car in the Alps. Dressed in traditional black and white camouflage, the model follows in the footsteps of the ID.2all concept but features a heavily revised front end.

The changes immediately stand out as the road-going model has a taller hood and more traditional headlights with top-mounted DRLs. We can also see a revamped bumper with a wide intake and vertical air curtains.

The profile is virtually identical to the concept, although the lower door treatment is a tad more conservative. Elsewhere, there are larger side mirrors and an evolutionary rear end.

When the ID.2all concept was introduced, Volkswagen was planning to introduce the production model in 2025 with a base price of less than €25,000 ($28,747). While the car is now expected to arrive in 2026, Volkswagen billed it “as spacious as a Golf” and “as affordable as a Polo.”

It’s slated to ride on the new MEB Entry platform and the concept had 223 hp (166 kW / 226 PS) as well as up to 280 miles (450 km) of range. However, the production model will presumably be offered in multiple configurations.

Volkswagen’s long-anticipated ID.2 electric hatchback has been snapped for the very first time with its production body giving us a glimpse of what will become the brand’s most affordable EV yet when it debuts, possibly late this year. That title may be short-lived though, as VW is already planning an even cheaper and smaller model, the ID.1, set to follow within a year or two of the ID.2’s debut, or whatever name the company ultimately gives it.

Previous sightings of the ID.2 were actually of early-stage mule prototypes based on the bigger ID.3, but this ID.2 prototype has the real sheet metal. Not that VW wants you to know it. The German automaker pulled its usual trick of adding stickers to disguise the secret EV as an existing VW car, in this case the sixth-generation Polo.

Related: VW ID.2 Might Have A Shot In America, But ID.1 Is ‘Highly Unlikely’

The upper and lower grilles on this test car, as well as the front and rear headlights, have all been altered through the use of stickers. Even the rear door handles are stickers – the real ones are hidden in the door frame above the window line.

Once you know what you’re looking for though, it’s not hard to see that the ID.2all concept’s slim grille, horizontal rear light bar, and classic VW arrow-shaped rear quarter panel are all present underneath the slim disguise.

The muscular fenders, wheels stuffed right into each corner, and kicked-up swage line have made the transition from auto show to street, but the production ID.2’s hood is shorter, separated from the grille/badge by a plastic panel, which helps cut repair costs in a minor front-end crash.

Built on VW’s Entry-Level EV Platform

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The ID.2 is the first of a family of small VW EVs built around a new entry-level version of the automaker’s MEB electric car platform. While single-motor versions of existing MEB cars like the ID.3, ID.4, and ID.Buzz are rear-wheel drive, the ID.2, its SUV spinoff, and even smaller ID.1 will be front-wheel drive.

They’ll also switch from today’s NCM battery to a cheaper LFP type to help bring the cost of the ID.2 down to around €25,000 and enable VW to battle a raft of new low-cost EVs being launched in Europe by its rivals.

A GTI Variant, But Probably Not This One

VW has even vowed to give us an ID.2 GTI, showing us an ID.GTI concept back in 2023, and this prototype’s forged wheels, roof spoiler, and sporty bumpers give us an idea of how it might look. However, the GTI concept had an even more extreme body kit, and that, together with this prototype’s smallish front brake setup and leads us to think we’re looking at a less extreme ID.2.

But don’t expect it to be called that when it arrives. VW is dropping its ID badges and giving the production ID.2 and its siblings real names.

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