This is the first official Volkswagen ID.1 sketch

Okay, so there’s very little to be gleaned from this digital sketch, but it is nonetheless the first time Volkswagen has indicated what its smallest, entry-level electric car will look like and that makes it a Moment.

Yup, this is the outline of the car that will eventually replace the abandoned e-Up city car. As you can see it features a very similar profile to that of the ID.3 hatchback, ID.4 crossover and ID Buzz microbus. That’s brand identity for you.

VW says it will be built in Spain from 2025, and because this is Volkswagen Group we’re talking about, there will also be Skoda- and Seat-badged versions of the car. Hooray!

They’re the long-term replacements for the Citigo-E iV and Mii Electric, and if the sketches above are anything to go by they’ll fulfil the respective ‘sensible’ and ‘slightly sporty’ briefs championed by each company.

It’s too early for any performance details, although all three will be built on the MEB platform that VW is using as a basis for dozens of its forthcoming electric cars over the coming years.

They’re unlikely to warrant the chunky 77kWh battery carried by the top-spec ID.3, although the entry-level 45kWh would probably do just fine for a vehicle to pootle around town.

And who knows, maybe battery tech will have evolved enough in three years’ time to pull the old Lotus trick of adding lightness…