Volkswagen ID. Polo debuts new cockpit generation with retro Golf instrument view

KUALA LUMPUR: Volkswagen has pulled the curtain back on the all-new ID. Polo, and the big talking point is not the exterior, it is the cabin.

The company says this is the first model to introduce a new cockpit and interior architecture that will set the template for future ID. models, built around clearer layouts, better materials, and controls that are easier to use day-to-day.

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Volkswagen positions the redesign as a direct response to what owners and customers have been asking for, with more intuitive operation, more direct-access functions, and a return to physical buttons for key tasks.

The brand also says the ID. Polo will be among the first to roll out a new software generation, adding features such as one-pedal-driving, advanced parking assistants, and an optional newer version of Travel Assist.

Kai Grünitz, Volkswagen Brand Board Member for Technical Development, says: “Our new interior architecture, starting with the all-new ID. Polo, elevates the customer experience to a new level: with clean lines, high-quality materials, and an intuitive operating environment with physical buttons and newly structured screens. In addition, from the ID. Polo onwards, our next software generation will deliver noticeably more comfort and functions for our customers. This includes, for example, the third generation of Travel Assist, which will soon recognise red traffic lights and stop signs, as well as comfortable one-pedal-driving.”

Cleaner layout, bigger screens, and more real controls

The new cockpit is built around a strong horizontal layout, with two major displays sitting along the same line of sight. Volkswagen says the driver gets a 26.0 cm (10.25-inch) digital instrument screen behind the steering wheel, paired with a 33 cm (almost 13-inch) central infotainment touchscreen, which is positioned as a standout size for this class.

Below that main screen, Volkswagen has added a dedicated strip with separate buttons for climate functions and the hazard warning lights, instead of burying everything inside menus. There is also a new multi-function steering wheel with more clearly organised button zones, plus a rotary controller placed between the phone tray and cup holders for audio control, volume, and track or station selection, accessible for both driver and front passenger.

Another detail Volkswagen is highlighting is the latest evolution of ID.Light, the interactive light strip at the base of the windscreen. On the ID. Polo, it now extends further, reaching into the front doors for the first time.

Material upgrades, including fabric surfaces and recycled content

Volkswagen also talks up a more “premium” feel than you would normally expect from a small car, pointing to fabric-covered surfaces on the dashboard and door inserts, and an emphasis on how the cabin feels through touch points like buttons, controls, and handles.

It also says the approach includes higher-quality materials, with recycled content referenced as part of the broader interior direction for future ID. models.

Volkswagen Chief Designer Andreas Mindt says: “The all-new ID. Polo is an affordable friend for everyday life. Just as the Polo always was, but now electric.” Mindt continues: “We have created an interior that feels like a friend from the very first contact. Clear physical buttons provide stability and trust, warm materials make it appealing, and charming details such as the new retro views of the instruments show the typical Volkswagen wink. All this makes the ID. Polo a compact car with a big heart – ‘Pure Positive’ in its purest form.”

Retro display brings back the 1980s Golf I instrument look

The most unusual feature is the retro display. Volkswagen says the design team groups these small “surprise and delight” touches under the phrase “Secret Sauce”, and in the ID. Polo it shows up as a throwback instrument theme.

With a press of a button on the steering wheel, or via the infotainment system, the digital instrument cluster can switch into classic display views inspired by the Golf I from the 1980s, essentially a nostalgic skin for the modern digital cockpit.

For Volkswagen, the ID. Polo is meant to show what the next wave of ID. interiors will feel like, with fewer “where did that function go?” moments, more real controls, and a cabin that tries harder to feel like a proper Volkswagen, not just another screen-first EV layout.

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