Volkswagen Making A Scooter To Rival Segway

According to Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn, the automaker is planning to release a foldable, three-wheel electric scooter that can be seen as a rival to Segway. Winterkorn told German newspaper Bild the foldable scooter will weigh approximately 24 pounds and will offer an electric range of 12 miles.

Although not many details are available yet, it has been reported the scooter will be marketed as a “last-mile surfer” for commuters to travel short distances between their parked car or public transportation stop. The company’s hope is that the white-and-gray scooter will appeal to millennials as it clearly carries some design influence from the Volkswagen XL1. The scooter is expected to be launched in 2016 and will cost approximately $1,000, making it a much cheaper alternative to the far more expensive Segway. There hasn’t been any word about a U.S. launch, but perhaps the product will come to North America if it proves successful elsewhere.

VW CEO Martin Winterkorn personally announced the project, which is said to have come about after ex-board member Ferdinand Piech criticized Volkswagen for having no creativity. Funding for the scooter development came from the worker council’s “innovation fund,” and the automaker is positioning the product as the perfect choice to take you that “last mile” after parking your car in the city or getting off the train on your way to work.

Even if it’s significantly cheaper, is anyone actually going to want to purchase a Segway alternative? It’ll be very interesting to see if VW is able to achieve any significant level of success with its scooter once it’s released.