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Volkswagen has started testing the ID 2, one of its most important cars in recent times, and prototypes have been spotted in a clever camouflage.

Photographed near Germany's Nürburgring circuit, where the ID 2 is being put through its paces, the test mules are clad in Volkswagen Polo body panels in a bid to disguise the electric car, as well as avoid the attention that a classic camouflage livery may attract.

Despite this test car's unassuming white look, certain details confirm what is underneath – such as the short front overhang, distinct fascia, smaller rear lights and a fake door release at the bottom of the boot lip.

These details reveal that the production car will feature many similarities to the 2023 ID 2all concept. Indeed, VW design chief Andreas Mindt previously told Autocar that such an approach was likely because his team had fought hard to make sure the production model closely followed the styling and dimensions of the concept.

He added: “It’s even better [than the concept]. I really like it and it’s one of the reasons I’m so optimistic for our future.”

The pictures also give away some of the interior details. For example, while the ID 2all concept was fitted with a flat-bottomed steering wheel, the production mule looks to be using a wheel with a flat top too. This is similar to what was shown in the smaller ID Every1 concept, suggesting some of that car's kit (including the refitting of physical controls) will also be adopted by the ID 2.

The production ID 2 is pencilled in to go on sale next year priced at around £22,000, which would make it one of the cheapest EVs in the UK. Before then, the ID 2X, its £25,000 supermini-sized crossover cousin, will be revealed at the Munich motor show in September, although it won’t go on sale until a year after the hatch. 

Underneath, the ID 2 will be based on the shortened version of the MEB platform and, like the ID 2X, will be offered exclusively with a single motor on the front axle, giving 223bhp, and a choice of 38kWh and 56kWh batteries - the latter providing a range of around 280 miles. Volkswagen has said the larger battery will be capable of topping up at 125kW to take its state of charge from 10% to 80% in just 20 minutes. 

A hot GTI variant of the ID 2 is also in the works and has been previewed by the ID GTI concept. It will enter production in 2027 with a bespoke soundtrack and gadgets but will not, like other hot EVs such as the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, feature a fake gearshift. Details are still sketchy but VW technical chief Thomas Schäfer said it will prioritise “go-kart” handling and fun over outright power.

The ID 2 is one of the Volkswagen Group’s four entry-level electric models in a line-up that also includes the Cupra Raval and Skoda Epiq. It will be built alongside the Raval at Seat’s Martorell plant in Spain, with the ID 2X and Epiq produced at VW’s nearby Pamplona factory.

Hyundai has confirmed its new Ioniq 6 N performance saloon will be revealed at Goodwood Festival of Speed next month.

Alongside the announcement, it has released new images of the hot saloon, showing its twin rear spoilers and a chunky diffuser that draws on that fitted to the extreme RN22e concept car.

Although not fully shown, the front end of the new Ioniq 6 N draws on the sporty new N Line variant of the standard Ioniq 6, which was updated earlier this year.

The changes are intended to “maintain aerodynamic performance while achieving a smoother, more refined silhouette”, Hyundai said.

Asked what else we can expect, Simon Loasby, vice president of Hyundai styling, said: “The huge wing. You’ve got all those curves on top so we need to counter the lift.

"Compared to Ioniq 5 N, we’ve had the chance to widen the fenders (who doesn’t love a wide body?) so it’s got even more stance, even more squat and even more cool factory.”

Inside, the Ioniq 6 N is expected to borrow key components from the Ioniq 5 N crossover, such as its three-spoke steering wheel with N-specific drive-mode buttons, as well as its more supportive front bucket seats.

Power is most likely to come from the same 641bhp dual-motor powertrain used by the Ioniq 5 N.

This is capable of replicating the power delivery of an internal combustion engine mated to a dual-clutch sequential gearbox, complete with shift paddles for simulated gears.

It’s possible that Hyundai will boost this set-up for the Ioniq 6 N, but a 0-62mph time of 3.4sec (as in the Ioniq 5 N) would put the saloon on a par with ICE mainstays such as the BMW M3.

The Ioniq 5 N also packs an 84.0kWh battery that officially yields a range of 278 miles, although it’s likely that the more aerodynamic Ioniq 6 N will boost this nearer to the 300-mile mark.

It's likely to arrive in UK showrooms this winter. Prices are predicted to start just south of £70,000.

The Symbioz and Captur crossovers have become the first Renault models to gain the French firm's new full-hybrid powertrain.

The E-Tech Full Hybrid 160 system, announced in May, gets a combined 158bhp from a 1.8-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and two electric motors (a 48bhp motor and a 20bhp ISG).

Those motors draw energy from a 1.4kWh battery, which is recharged via regenerative breaking and allows for unspecified short periods of electric-only driving.

The new powertrain costs from £25,195 in the Captur and from £29,795 in the Symbioz.

Renault has also added a new mild-hybrid petrol model to the bottom of the Symbioz line-up, priced from £27,395.

This pairs a 1.3-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol engine with a gearbox-mounted electric motor for a combined 138bhp. Power is sent to the front wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox.

All three new models are available to order now, with deliveries due to start in July.

Fiat's forthcoming Dacia Bigster rival could channel the spirit of the cult-classic Multipla MPV when it arrives in 2027.

The new SUV is one of two C-segment models that the Italian brand is set to launch in the next two years, alongside a rakish, raised hatchback. They were previewed by Panda-inspired SUV and Fastback concepts unveiled early last year.

Those models will be a maximum of 4.5 metres long and sit on the same cost-conscious Stellantis Smart Car platform as the smaller Grande Panda, enabling them to be offered with electric and hybrid powertrains.

While the new SUV will sit broadly as part of the Panda design family and distinct from the range inspired by the classic 500, Fiat bosses have hinted it won’t necessarily feature that name.

Asked about the risks of Fiat expanding beyond its core city car market into the C-segment, Fiat Europe boss Gaetano Thorel said: “It will be a challenge, because [it seems] we don’t have the same legacy with family movers as we do with [the] 500 and Panda, but in reality we have, because when you think about the Multipla, then Fiat has a story on that.

“But thanks to Stellantis, we have a possibility to offer our customers and dealers a full passengercar line-up from 2.5 metres to 4.4 metres. That is the Fiat territory.”

The Multipla arrived in 1998 as a 4m-long compact MPV with two rows of three seats and a host of space-saving features. The styling was divisive and the model was not a commercial success, but it won praise for its design, with Autocar’s 2000 road test calling it “the most innovative and exciting car in its class”.

The new model will have more of a traditional SUV appearance but could echo the Multipla in terms of maximising space in a small footprint. The Citroën C3 Aircross, which uses the same Smart Car platform as the Grande Panda, seats seven. 

The Fastback concept is likely to morph into a raised hatchback that will serve as a spiritual successor to the Fiat Tipo.

Fiat design chief François Leboine said future models would use design cues from the Grande Panda and elsewhere in its heritage line-up, but he insisted the brand wouldn’t fixate on retro designs.

“There is a retro flair on the products, but if you don’t know the past, the products still have to work,” he said. “We play with the codes of pop culture and car culture, but they have to work for a new generation.”