Volkswagen's bargain EV will be a Seat, report says

has been planning a new, affordable electric vehicle based on its EV-specific MEB platform for a while now, but according to a report published on Sunday by the Financial Times, it won't be sold as a Volkswagen at all.

Instead, the Volkswagen Group's answer to the Nissan Leaf and the Chevy Bolt will wear the Seat badge. If you're unfamiliar with Seat, it's a Spanish company that has been a part of the VW Group since 1986 and acts as an entry-level point for the VW Group's offerings.

This new affordable EV is meant to go on sale for around 20,000 euros ($22,400) in Europe sometime next year. If Seat can get it to market for its target price, it would be one of the cheapest electric cars on sale in the EU.

Furthermore, Seat is said to be leading development on an additional small-car electric platform that will be shared throughout the VW Group and see the light of day sometime in 2023. That would make at least three EV-specific platforms for the group -- including the PPE platform that underpins the Porsche Taycan -- and we're reasonably confident that it won't stop there.

Volkswagen didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

The possibility of US availability of this bargain EV has always been a little sketchy at best, but now it seems even more likely, considering that Seats haven't been sold here... well, ever. That means that all you rabid VW fans will have to put your plaid wallets back in your pants and wait -- unless of course, you want to pony up for an eGolf.

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