Posts Tagged "e-scooter"

Volkswagen became the third major motor manufacturer to present an electric scooter concept, following in the narrow tire treads of Smart and Mini.

The VW e-Scooter was designed in China under Simon Loasby, VW’s Chinese Design Director, who whizzed his away around the show stand on the concept ‘bike. Why China? Because there’s already a huge market for electric scooters here. You can’t cross the street without having a near miss with one of the stealthy cycle. The electric scooter market in China is already at 20million units per year, something VW is sure it can take a healthy slice of even at double the price of the competition (hypothetically just €700).

Two things separate the VW from the existing products: firstly its explicitly industrial design aesthetic, which links the range seamlessly from it, through Up!, Polo and so on. The only VW branding appears on its cute chrome wheel centers, yet its brand identity is so clear that there’s no questions asked of its bloodline.

The second is its proposed integration into mass personal mobility infrastructures across the world’s major cities. Many have talked about it but with the unbridled pace of development in cities such as Shanghai and a ready-made, progressive market, it’s hard to imagine it not being a total success.

By Owen Ready