We are talking about a project to create a “green” model costing about 20 thousand euros (1.9 million rubles), which could become one of the most affordable electric cars on the European market and compete with Chinese cars. As Automotive News writes with reference to the newspaper Handelsblatt, negotiations between the companies are still at the initial stage.
News that the Volkswagen model line could be replenished with an inexpensive electric car that could compete with Chinese ones in price appeared back in November. Then it was reported that such a machine, if it came to market, would be in the second half of this decade. The fact is that only after 2025 will it be possible to significantly reduce the cost of the traction battery – the most expensive element in the design of an electric vehicle. Volkswagen is already working on Unified Battery Cells, the mass production of which will reduce the cost of batteries by half.
According to new information, the German concern is negotiating with several potential partners who could participate in the project. Among them is Renault, which previously also announced its readiness to bring an affordable entry-level electric car to the market. Thus, already in February 2024, the French brand will present a serial electric hatchback Renault 5, inspired by the R5 model of the 70s of the last century. The new product is built on the AmpR Small platform and is equipped with batteries with a capacity of 52 kilowatt-hours. On one charge, the electric hatch travels up to 400 kilometers.
In addition, in mid-November, Renault showed the harbinger of the new, fourth generation Twingo: this is also an electric car, but more compact than the model with index 5. The “fourth” Twingo is expected to go on sale in the second half of the decade (namely in 2026) and, according to preliminary According to data, it will cost the same 20 thousand euros.
Electroshock: new “battery-powered” products
