Volkswagen is preparing to bring one or more of its China-developed electric cars to Europe, with boss Thomas Schäfer confirming the plan at the Paris motor show.
The models, developed in China for that market on a bespoke architecture, would be additions to the European range rather than replacements for existing cars. Schäfer named the ID Unyx 09 saloon and the 4.8-metre ID Aura T6 SUV as potential candidates, though no dates, prices or final decisions were given.
Schäfer told Autocar that Volkswagen has spent two years cutting material and engineering costs on its Chinese-market vehicles, working with partners in both Europe and China to make them cost-competitive there. Technical chief Kai Grünitz and his team have worked in parallel with the Chinese operation, he said, but the group has not yet used that work for exports or technology transfer to Europe.
The first step is already under way elsewhere: Volkswagen has begun exporting Chinese-built cars to markets with easier access from China than Europe has, naming Australia and the Middle East.
Which cars could come to Europe
Schäfer pointed to the ID Unyx 09, an electric saloon co-developed with Volkswagen's Chinese partner Xpeng, as one possibility.
Another is the ID Aura T6, a 4.8-metre SUV that would sit above the smaller ID Tiguan in the European range and, in Autocar's framing, take on the Volvo EX60.
He also flagged the ID Era, a 5.2-metre SUV, as a car Volkswagen would not necessarily develop for Europe because it is technically too big, though it could still be part of a trial run of selected imports.
Why the imports matter
The China-built models sit on a bespoke architecture tailored to that region, and Volkswagen has previously said some could be sold and potentially manufactured in Europe.
The significance for buyers is cost. Schäfer's account of the two-year cost-down exercise, covering both materials and engineering, suggests the imported cars would arrive with a cost base honed in the world's most price-competitive EV market. That matters as European brands fight to match Chinese rivals on value without compromising their own line-ups.
The catch is scale and fit. Schäfer was explicit that any imports would be a limited experiment, 'to see how it works', and that none of the China models would replace existing European products. Cars like the 5.2-metre ID Era may simply be too large for European expectations, which is why Volkswagen is talking about selected models rather than a wholesale shift.
What has not been announced is any timeline, European pricing, or confirmation of which models, if any, will actually make the trip.
