Volkswagen to Retain Historic Model Names as It Shifts to Electric Vehicles

Volkswagen confirmed it will keep its long-established model names as it transitions its lineup to battery-electric vehicles, signaling a shift away from the company's current EV naming convention. The automaker said the first legacy name to make the switch will be the Polo, with the 2026 ID.2 electric hatchback to be marketed as the ID.Polo.

The announcement also applies to performance variants: the ID.2 GTI will be rebadged the ID.Polo GTI. Volkswagen said the move ends the exclusive use of its "ID" moniker followed by numbers, a system the company introduced in 2018 for models such as the ID.3, ID.4, ID.5 and ID.7.

Volkswagen Chief Executive Thomas Schäfer said the company's traditional nameplates are "firmly anchored in people’s minds" and that the automaker is "moving our well-known names into the future." The Polo, an "evergreen" nameplate with about 50 years in showrooms, will be the first to carry a legacy title into the electric era, Volkswagen said.

The company indicated the change could extend across its range, with the next-generation ID.3 likely to be replaced by an ID.Golf and other familiar nameplates — including Tiguan, Touareg and Up! — potentially being applied to forthcoming battery-electric models. Volkswagen also cited the possibility that the Beetle name could be used on future electric models.

The decision comes as Volkswagen advances its EV strategy. The automaker said last month it launched what could be its last all-new model to feature a petrol engine, underscoring its ongoing pivot toward electrification. The renaming is intended to leverage established brand recognition built over decades as Volkswagen expands its EV portfolio.

Since introducing the ID naming scheme in 2018, Volkswagen has used numerical suffixes to differentiate its electric models. The company’s move to reintroduce legacy nameplates to electric vehicles replaces that numeric-only approach with a hybrid naming formula that pairs the ID brand with familiar model names.

Volkswagen did not provide detailed production or sales forecasts tied to the renaming, but said the ID.Polo will debut in 2026. The company framed the change as a way to maintain continuity with customers and dealers during a period of product transformation.

Industry observers have long noted the strength of established model names in consumer memory; Volkswagen characterized the decision as an effort to keep that equity intact while modernizing its fleet. The automaker’s announcement clarifies branding ahead of multiple new EV launches planned over the coming years as it seeks to compete in an increasingly crowded electric-vehicle market.