Future Volkswagen electric vehicles to get 'proper names'

VIENNA: A top Volkswagen executive has said the German car manufacturer will drop its current clunky combination of letters and numbers for future electric cars in favour of more conventional names instead.

VW's alphanumeric monikers like ID.4 do not go down well in some markets, such as the United States, where customers hanker after more memorable names like Passat and Golf.

"The cars will get proper names again," VW's marketing chief Martin Sander told the German-language trade magazine Auto & Wirtschaft earlier in May.

"The question arises specifically with the market launch of new models - neither the ID.2all nor the ID. EVERY1 will be called that in series production. We will announce this when the time comes," said the manager.

The confusingly-named ID. EVERY1 is VW's new small electric which is set to hit the market in 2027. So far only seen in concept form, it is set to replace the Up! which was popular as a small petrol car.

VW presented its family of battery-electric vehicles for the first time in 2016 and in many countries they are all sold under the ID name. VW says the initials stand for "Intelligent Design".

The branding shift comes as Volkswagen is struggling with poor sales figures for its battery-powered vehicles, despite ambitious plans and innovative technology, as cheaper Chinese-made electrics gain in popularity.