With Volkswagen suddenly making big changes to how it names its EVs, what will its smallest electric vehicle end up being called? CarBuzz has just found a trademark that could give away the production ID.1’s real name.
Unlike the original plans, this name won’t confuse everyone who sets foot on a VW dealer’s lot.
VW’s Smallest Car Gets A Big New Name
The new name, or at least the new trademarked name, is ID. UP. That marks it as the electric version of the Volkswagen Up!, though it seems to have dropped the exclamation point in favor of an upper-case P.
It won’t be the first electric Up, when (or if) the car hits the market. Volkswagen launched an EV called the E-up in 2013, back when its electrics just appended an E- to the name of the model they were based on. Everyone following this?
Volkswagen revealed the ID. Every1 concept car early last year. The supermini electric claimed around 155 miles of range and a tiny footprint, making it almost perfect for zipping around European cities.
But that name. It wasn’t great. Every1 is somehow worse than Everyone, and even that wouldn’t have won it any awards. But it followed the trend in a lineup that was to include models like the ID. Crozz, ID. Space Vizzion, ID.GTI, and more. And in case you’re wondering, yes, VW did actually change its mind on a space between ID. and the name. Not that your web browser appreciates it when you try to search for something about any of those ID. models.
Since then, VW has made two changes. First it went to ID. and a number. The ID. Crozz became the ID.4, for example. Then it changed again, so the ID.2All concept was briefly the ID.2, but became the ID. Polo. It was the electric Polo, so the name made sense. Not long after it showed the ID. Every1, Volkswagen officials made it clear that would not be the production name. It was expected to be called the ID.1, at least until VW moved away from that name format, too.
And that, friends, brings us to up. Or rather, UP.
What’s Up With This Car?
VW ID.EVERY1 Concept from the front three-quarter angleVolkswagen
The Up was a tiny (140-inch) hatch first launched in 2011. It was focused on efficiency and came with a 1.0-liter three-cylinder gas engine making 60 horsepower. VW sold it with two or four doors, and there was even a GTI model that turbocharged the tiny engine. The Up went out of production in 2023.
VW’s ID.1, or now ID.UP, will keep the spirit of that small original model. A 94 hp electric motor drives the front tires, it can hit 85 miles per hour, and VW says it will have at least 155 miles of range. Those specs put it close to the Fiat 500e, but Volkswagen plans to sell this electric for around $21,000. That is significantly cheaper than the 500e, at least in Europe.
CarBuzz Insight – Why This Matters:
2018 Volkswagen Up GTIVolkswagen
A trademark doesn’t confirm the ID. Up, but at this point, it would be a surprise if VW used anything else. That’s especially true now that it has launched the ID. Tiguan and ID. Polo, and the ID. Golf is expected in a few years. Now, if we can just drop the ID. business, but that’s a rant for another time.
VW isn’t the only automaker reversing its initial electric-specific names, with Mercedes-Benz dropping its own EQ names on several models. Expect more to do the same, because it makes more sense for buyers.
Trademark filings do not guarantee the use of such nomenclature in future vehicles and are often used exclusively as a means of protecting intellectual property. Such a filing cannot be construed as confirmation of a production-bound application.
Source: EUIPO
