Is cycling the new golf, with a capital G? Volkswagen certainly seems to think so with its new range of e-bikes, which it boasts have high-tech intelligent systems designed to mimic the safety-first philosophy of a modern car. At the same time, the company is about to cut up to 100,000 jobs worldwide and potentially close up to four German plants.
Let’s start with the e-bikes, which Volkswagen (vee) dubs an “ecosystem.” Taking cues from high-tech, situationally aware vehicles, the bikes pack a “Smart View” cockpit, which makes use of a rear-view camera linked to a screen on the handlebars, so riders can be aware of what’s going on behind them without turning their heads. It also packs a Varia-like radar that signals the approach of vehicles.
The minimalist design and sturdy, fully integrated alloy frame has a whiff of VanMoof about it, the Dutch e-bike brand that was revived by McLaren Applied back in 2023. Its S6 model also boasts features such as smart lighting and anti-theft tech, but VW has arguably gone further with the smart tech here.
The new VW bikes come with “Smart Lights,” which integrate an LED strip into the top tube. Brake and the strip turns red; turn, and it goes amber — which does actually sound quite clever.
Aside from the bike itself, VW has released the “Smart Helmet.” This connects to the bike via Bluetooth and incorporates high-visibility LED lighting that works in unison with the lights, as well as a crash-detection and emergency alert system.
Completing the line-up are some glasses, and guess what they’re called? The “Smart Glasses” feature a heads-up display developed by engineers who’ve worked on similar units for fighter pilots, and they’ll present navigation prompts, rear-view blind spot alerts, and ride information within the rider’s field of view.
Whether any of this will actually make cyclists safer on car-dominated highways is debatable, but it could be what’s needed to entice petrolheads to make the leap to e-bikes — but the oddest thing here is the timing.
At the moment, Volkswagen is undergoing a massive restructuring, with an internal memo from CEO Oliver Blume confirming plans to cut up to 100,000 roles globally, and potentially close up to four German plants.
It’s worth pointing out that the bikes aren’t made by Volkswagen directly — instead the company has licensed its brand to N+, the company that’s behind Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1-branded e-bikes. But there still has to be some communication between Volkswagen and N+, which does make the announcement of e-bikes alongside massive lay-offs seem like a distraction tactic.
Maybe this is a cynical way of looking at it, though? Maybe Volkswagen, the nice company that put hippies in VW Campers and gave the world the Love Bug, and that has absolutely no emissions scandals, and no links to the Nazi party, has realised that cars are no longer a viable form of transportation in the 21st century, and that ultra-safe e-bikes are the way forwards? And that maybe the N+ bikes deal is a testbed before Volkswagen switches entirely to producing e-bikes?
The Volkswagen e-bikes are available now from Smart Bike, with the Sport model retailing at £3,999, the Crossover model for £4,349, and accessories including the Smart Glasses and Smart Helmet for £499 each.
One thing’s for certain, though: there are about 100,000 people out there who definitely won’t be buying a Volkswagen e-bike…
