New Brand: Volkswagen eBikes by N+

Who makes the Volkswagen e-bikes?

N Plus North America LLC manufactures the bikes under licence from Volkswagen AG, according to the legal notice on the official product site. N+ also says it developed the e-bike and connected accessory ecosystem. N Plus Europe GmbH, based in Hamburg, is the named EU distributor, while Volkswagen AG permits use of the trademarks, designs and other brand assets.

That distinction matters. These are officially licensed Volkswagen products, but they are not bicycles manufactured by Volkswagen AG or sold through the Volkswagen passenger-car range. The official store, reservation agreement, warranty and aftersales process are operated by N+ entities.

Pre-production status, reservation terms and delivery timing

The Sport and Crossover are pre-production bikes offered for reservation rather than in-stock models. N+ says deliveries are scheduled to commence in Q4 2026, but delivery will take place only after manufacturing is complete and the bikes have passed the certification required for the relevant market.

The regional configurators take a €49, £49 or $49 order fee to secure an allocation, with the remaining balance due when the bike is delivered. Because production specifications and certification are not final, every motor, battery, range, weight and accessory figure on this page should be read as a current manufacturer specification rather than a result measured on a retail bike.

At the time of indexing, N+ includes the Smart View package with a pre-order at no additional charge. The package is separately listed at €699, £699 or $699, so its free inclusion is a pre-order offer rather than confirmation that Smart View will be standard equipment on later retail orders.

Sport versus Crossover: the same powertrain on two different chassis

The €350 difference between the EU models does not buy more motor power or battery capacity. Both use the Yamaha PW-X3 mid-drive rated at 250W and 85 Nm, a 36V 490 Wh removable clamshell battery, Shimano CUES U4000 9-speed gearing with an 11-36T cassette, and Tektro dual-piston hydraulic disc brakes with 180 mm rotors.

The Sport is the more road-focused configuration. It pairs a step-over 6061 aluminium frame with a rigid aluminium fork and 27.5 x 2.2-inch urban tyres. N+ lists it at 27.5 kg in size M. The rigid front end should require less maintenance than a suspension fork, but it offers less isolation from broken surfaces.

The Crossover uses a step-through frame, a 100 mm suspension fork with lockout, wider 27.5 x 2.4-inch tyres and an integrated rear carrier. Its published size-M weight is 28 kg. Those changes favour easier mounting, comfort and load carrying rather than additional electrical performance. Both models are offered in S, M and L sizes.

The range-extender package reflects the chassis difference. The Crossover version costs €749 and includes the 814 Wh battery, cradle and fasteners. The Sport version costs €848 because it also includes the rear rack required to carry the second battery.

Yamaha PW-X3 motor, 490 Wh battery and the range claims

The Yamaha PW-X3 provides the shared performance baseline for both models. Its 85 Nm output is suited to hillier commuting and heavier loads, while N+ lists six dashboard modes, including Yamaha's Automatic Support mode, which varies assistance in response to acceleration and gradients.

Battery capacity is 490 Wh on both models. N+ claims up to 162 km from that pack, but no test protocol, assist setting, rider mass or elevation profile is published. That makes 162 km a best-case manufacturer ceiling, not a reliable expectation for mixed commuting.

The optional rack-mounted battery adds 814 Wh, bringing combined capacity to 1,304 Wh. The technical specification claims up to 269 km of additional range, which would imply up to 431 km when added to the main-battery figure. Elsewhere, the product copy describes the extender as increasing range to 120 to 260 km. Those claims do not reconcile, and neither has been independently tested on a production bike. Battery capacity is the more dependable comparison point until N+ publishes a defined test method.

How Smart View and the digital cockpit work

Smart View combines a rear-facing radar with a camera integrated into the rear mudguard. N+ says the camera can provide a live rearward view on the handlebar display, while the radar detects approaching traffic and activates a warning. The company describes it as the first fully integrated digital rear-view camera on an e-bike, a manufacturer claim that has not been independently verified by Velo Index.

The 3.5-inch colour display sits within an integrated handlebar and stem. It shows ride information, assistance settings and the Smart View feed. The bike also carries a 100 lux headlight, a 4 cd rear light, illuminated Volkswagen emblems and LED strip lighting designed to change colour for braking and turn indication.

The €149 Smart Security Pack groups an 85 dB alarm and locator with a wheel lock and bottle cage. Apple Find My support is listed separately in the bike specification. N+ has not published enough detail to assess how the alarm, locator and Find My functions behave if the main battery is removed or depleted.

Smart Helmet and Smart Glasses specifications

The Smart Helmet mirrors the bike's brake and turn signals through front and rear lighting. N+ lists NTA 8776, EN 1078 and CPSC standards, IP67 protection and a published weight of 440 g. A 3-axis accelerometer supports crash detection: after a detected impact, the paired app starts a countdown and can send an SMS with the rider's location to an emergency contact if the rider does not respond.

Helmet runtime depends on the lighting pattern and brightness. N+ quotes up to 3 hours in solid mode at full brightness, up to 15 hours in beacon mode at full brightness, and up to 30 hours in beacon mode at half brightness from the 1,350 mAh battery. Those are manufacturer figures and do not establish real-world runtime with crash detection and phone connectivity active.

The Smart Glasses weigh a claimed 47 g and use a 640 x 400 colour MicroOLED display rated above 5,000 nits. They provide Google Maps navigation from a paired phone and can display Smart View blind-spot alerts when connected to the bike. N+ lists IP55 protection, Bluetooth support for iOS, Android, Apple Watch and Wear OS, and up to 8 hours of continuous operation. The glasses are offered in M and L, while the helmet is sold in S, M and L.

EU, UK and US bike and accessory prices

In the EU, the Sport is €3,999 and the Crossover is €4,349. The Smart Security Pack is €149, the Smart Helmet and Smart Glasses are €499 each, and Smart View is listed at €699. The Crossover range extender is €749, while the Sport package is €848 because it includes a rear rack.

The UK store uses the same price numerals in pounds: £3,999 for the Sport, £4,349 for the Crossover, £149 for the Security Pack, £499 each for the helmet and glasses, £699 for Smart View, £749 for the Crossover range extender and £848 for the Sport range extender.

The US bike prices also retain the same numerals, at $3,999 for the Sport and $4,349 for the Crossover. Smart View is $699, the Smart Glasses are $499, the Security Pack is $149, and the two range-extender packages are $749 and $848. The Smart Helmet is the exception at $399, which is $100 below its EU and UK numeral.

These are local list prices rather than currency conversions, so the effective cost differs materially by region. Only the EU bikes and EU-priced accessories appear as product cards on this page because this Discover entry is tied to the Velo Index EU dataset.

Warranty, service and road-legality caveats

N+ publishes a 2-year limited warranty rather than the broader 'comprehensive warranty' wording used on the product page. In Europe, the voluntary warranty covers the frame, fork, motor, battery, controller and several other named parts for two years, subject to exclusions. The battery is warranted to retain at least 70 percent capacity for 500 charge cycles or two years, whichever comes first. Third-party components such as Shimano parts are covered by their manufacturers, and some transport, duties, assembly and disassembly costs are excluded.

The official site provides an authorised-service-centre locator, but the number and geographic spread of participating workshops are not published in the page text. With no retail bikes yet in circulation, there is also no established owner record for parts availability, diagnostic support or repair turnaround.

The product pages carry a short note stating that the bikes are not street legal in Germany and France, but N+'s press page clarifies that the restriction concerns the behavioural Smart Lights used for braking and turn indication in some countries. The underlying EU specification is a 250W pedelec with assistance capped at 25 km/h, but certification remains pending. Buyers in Germany and France should confirm which lighting configuration will be supplied and approved before placing a reservation.

What remains unknown before production

N+ has published enough information to compare the main chassis, drivetrain and connected accessories, but several buying details remain absent or provisional. These include a defined range-test protocol, charging time, maximum system weight, battery-cell supplier, full frame geometry, production certification documents and a clear explanation of which Smart features remain functional without a phone connection.

The published weights of 27.5 kg and 28 kg also make both bikes substantial to carry, especially once the rack-mounted 814 Wh battery is fitted. No complete weight is published for either bike with the extender and Smart View hardware installed.

Velo Index has not ridden or laboratory-tested either model. The bikes are indexed because N+ publishes regional prices and specifications, not as an endorsement of the product or the reservation offer. The entry should be reviewed when final certification, production specifications and first deliveries are confirmed.