Mid-March 2023 brought a quieter week on the EV front compared to the frenzied coverage that dominated the end of 2022 and early 2023. But Volkswagen made sure it still had a seat at the conversation table with the reveal of its ID.2all concept — a compact EV promising a price point under 25,000 euros. That’s the number the affordable EV camp has been waiting to see from a mainstream brand.
Volkswagen’s ID.2all is generating genuine buzz precisely because affordability has been the elephant in the room during the entire EV push. Most of the early electric vehicle lineup from traditional automakers has landed firmly in the premium and near-premium segments, which is fine for early adopters but doesn’t move the needle on mass adoption. A credible sub-25,000-euro offering from VW — if it makes it to production without ballooning in cost — could actually change the math for mainstream buyers in Europe and eventually beyond.
Elsewhere, the bigger stories of the week centered on disruption that has nothing to do with powertrains. Business model changes, supplier consolidations, and dealership relationship pressures are all generating plenty of industry churn even as the EV news cycle took a breath. These structural shifts often get overshadowed by the shiny hardware announcements, but they’re arguably more consequential for the day-to-day experience of buying and owning a vehicle.
The direct-to-consumer model debate also continues to simmer. Several brands are pressing forward with agency models or online-only sales structures that cut traditional dealers out of or reduce their role in the transaction. Dealers are fighting back where they can, and the legal landscape varies dramatically by state. This tension isn’t going away, and how it resolves will shape who controls the customer relationship — and the margin — for years to come.
All told, March 2023 is shaping up to be a month where the industry’s underlying structural pressures become more visible than the product announcements. The vehicles are exciting. The business model battles happening around them might matter more in the long run.