Palmela, Portugal, March 11, 2025 (Lusa) - The CEO of Autoeuropa, a carmaker based at Palmela, in Portugal's Setúbal district, and worker representatives on Tuesday hailed the decision by its parent company, Volkswagen, to make VW's new ID. EVERY1 electric car as a "historic decision" that reinforces the strategic position of the plant within the German-owned group.
"It is with great enthusiasm that we have taken over production of the ID. EVERY1, a model that will make electric mobility more accessible and sustainable in Europe," a news release quoted Thomas Hegel Gunther, managing director of the unit, as saying. "This achievement represents a milestone for Volkswagen Autoeuropa, signalling our entry into the era of electrification.
"We would like to thank for its support the Portuguese government, which has provided us with the best conditions to attract this new project to the country," he added.
Portugal's minister for the economy, Pedro Reis, also applauded Volkswagen's decision to build a new electric model in Portugal.
"This is a truly historic day for Portugal and a very happy one for all of us," he said in a statement, noting that, "in one fell swoop, the Portuguese economy is guaranteed the production of a new electric vehicle, which ensures the future of the Setúbal plant of a new generation Volkswagen factory, and of a huge value chain of national suppliers, for many years to come."
VW's decision to build the new electric model at the Palmela plant was also welcomed by the Works Council (CT), which in a statement said that it was a "historic decision, decisive for the future of the plant and its workers.
"The arrival of the ID.1 reinforces Autoeuropa's strategic importance within the Volkswagen Group and marks the start of a new phase in which electrification will play a central role," the statement reads. "This new product allows us to look to a future in which confidence and stability are a closer reality, not only in the factory's present, but also for the new generations of workers."
The CT also expressed the belief that the transition from internal combustion engines to electric vehicles "requires careful planning to ensure that the new phase is marked by sustainable growth."
It should be noted that even before production of the new ID. EVERY1 at the Palmela plant, the unit is due to start producing the T-ROC NF hybrid vehicle from next summer.
"These new models (T-ROC NF and ID1) have to mean a window of opportunity to implement new production processes to improve working conditions," argues the CT in its statement.
According to Autoeuropa, the ID. EVERY1 is an "innovative electric vehicle" designed in Europe and for Europe, and which combines a sporty design, a functional interior and advanced digital technology, and with an estimated price of €20,000 on the German market.
The company added that the launch of the model is part of Volkswagen's "ambitious plan to introduce nine new models by 2027, including four electric vehicles based on the modern modular electric platform (MEB) with front-wheel drive."
Autoeuropa also said that the ID. EVERY1 is powered by a new-generation 70 kW (95 hp) electric motor, has room for four people, and a boot with a capacity of 305 litres. It is to be the first model in the entire group to have an innovative new software architecture integrated in it that allows it to be equipped with new features throughout its life cycle.
GR/ARO // ARO.
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