
AI-generated summary
Volkswagen is expanding its electric vehicle range with the ID.Polo, an affordable small car produced at the Martorell plant in Spain. The model is part of a shared platform with Skoda and Cupra to reduce development costs.
The VW ID.Polo is in high demand even before its launch. The demand for other electric models is also growing. Now the company wants to increase capacity.
The Volkswagen ID. Polo: The car is built at the factory in Martorell, Spain. Photo: Bloomberg
Frankfurt. Volkswagen's electric small cars have broken the 100,000 pre-order mark. Order intake, particularly for the ID.Polo in Germany, significantly exceeded Volkswagen's expectations, a spokeswoman said when asked on Tuesday.
This vehicle alone has now been ordered 30,000 times, even before it was seen at dealers. The company is therefore increasing production capacity faster than originally planned.
VW brand boss Thomas Schäfer spoke of a “strong signal for affordable electromobility from Europe”.
In addition to the ID.Polo, the vehicle family includes the VW SUV ID.Cross as well as the Skoda model Epiq and the Cupra Raval. The cars are built together at the factory in Martorell, Spain.
Volkswagen estimated the savings from the joint development and construction of the cars at 600 million euros. More than 80 percent of the vehicle parts are identical.
More: Volkswagen unveils electric mini-SUV for 28,000 euros
First publication: September 8, 2026, 10:16 a.m.
rtr Published according to the editorial standards of the Handelsblatt. You can find more information in our guidelines.
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Volkswagen will announce the official market launch of the ID.Polo in the first quarter of 2027.
Likely · Within months

The DAX could fall below the 26,000 point mark today after holding just above it yesterday. Overnight, the conflict between the US and Iran over the Strait of Hormuz escalated, with US forces attacking Iranian oil tankers and Iran firing missiles at a US base in Jordan. Brent oil rose above $99 a barrel. While Asian markets remained resilient thanks to AI euphoria, concerns about inflation and military escalation weighed on Wall Street, where the Dow Jones fell 1.2% and the Nasdaq fell 0.3%. There are no important economic dates scheduled today, before the ECB interest rate decision tomorrow and the US inflation data on Friday are likely to move the markets.

Despite a late entry into AI infrastructure, Apple has achieved high margins and share buybacks through capital discipline, which investors see as protection against an AI bubble. The group relies on pragmatic AI integration through partners like Google and plans growth through foldable iPhones and household robots, while the stock is valued at over 30 times expected earnings.

The Nikkei index rose 0.4 percent to 65,495 points, while the Topix climbed 0.3 percent to 4,064 points. In China, the Shanghai index gained 0.3 percent to 3,953 points and the CSI 300 index gained 0.3 percent to 4,571 points. AI enthusiasm in Japan pushed aside Middle East concerns, while the conflict in China fueled inflation through higher energy costs.

The US is announcing import bans on certain Canadian products such as dairy, alcoholic beverages and motorcycles from September 29 to put pressure on Canada in the tariff dispute. Canada responds with counter tariffs on US imports. In addition, other developments such as Trump's renaming proposals, an attack on a Democratic candidate in Ohio and postal voting in the USA are reported.

Starting in December, tokenized stocks will be traded on the Nasdaq 23 hours a day, five days a week. Jennifer Lassiter from Standard Chartered sees this as an important step, but warns of double system costs due to a lack of regulation. Thomas Jansen from Investor Guard also analyzes Bitcoin's chances of breaking the $100,000 mark.
In Baden-Württemberg, the regional classes in motor vehicle liability insurance worsened for around 1.6 million people in nine districts, while they improved in two districts for around 190,000 insured people. When it comes to comprehensive insurance, eleven of the 44 districts were rated worse, affecting 800,000 drivers. The best damage balance was achieved in Breisgau/Hochschwarzwald.