The story of the Volkswagen Group’s push into the affordable EV segment can be told through its big reveals at the Munich motor show.

In 2021, the first time Germany’s biennial motor show was held in Bavaria, VW signalled its intent to enter the affordable EV segment with the boldly styled ID Life concept. It sat on the new MEB Entry platform, a front-driven electric architecture that would allow for vehicles costing around €25,000 (£22,000) from Volkswagen and sibling brands Cupra and Skoda.

The reaction wasn’t exactly positive: the car was a stylistic departure from both the ID models that had gone before it and VW’s long-running combustion-engined classics. The distinctly underwhelming reception contributed to a major Volkswagen management shake-up, which involved Thomas Schäfer being brought in as CEO and Andreas Mindt joining as design chief.

Straight away the pair started leaning into Volkswagen’s heritage. Schäfer has talked repeatedly about making Volkswagen a ‘love brand’ again, while Mindt will enthuse all day about the ‘secret sauce’ that all his designs must have.

But there were changes behind the scenes, too. The VW Group reorganised, with the new Core division – Volkswagen, Cupra, Skoda and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles – working in a far more collaborative fashion on the new ID Entry project.