Wolfsburg is determined to be the speed bump in Tesla’s success.
Volkswagen continues its charge against Tesla, with its upcoming ID hatchback set to steal the thunder from Tesla’s Model 3. While those of you following the Model 3’s development will note that the Tesla will be hitting the showrooms sooner than the ID, Volkswagen will not be letting that become an issue for its EV success.
Talking at the Automobil Forum, VW strategist Thomas Sedran said that the team at Volkswagen were aiming to get the ID on showroom floors for some US$7000-8000 less than the Model 3, at a speculated price point of about $37,000 in our dollars. This will probably make a dent in Teslas sales, as not only will Volkswagen be capable of delivering more cars in less time (one of the perks of having been around for 80-years, and already having production facilities around the world).
Expected to pack a range of around 400km at launch (and will likely be expandable to 600km with the scaleable architecture), the Volkswagen ID will come around in 2019 and sit beside the Golf in terms of size, and will be offered in Europe initially. Other markets will come online in time, along with several more ID family members like the ID Cross (or Crozz, as VW seems undecided), ID Buzz, ID Lounge, and Aero-E. With a large family of EVs planned, it lends credence to VW boss Herbert Diess’ claims that VW is entirely capable of outdoing Tesla.
“We are confident that in this new world, we will become a market leader. Tesla is a competitor we take seriously. Tesla comes from a high-priced segment, but they are moving down. It’s our ambition, with our new architecture, to stop them there, to reign them in.” – Herbert Diess, Volkswagen Chairman
Volkswagen is targeting annual sales figures of their EVs to hit 1-million units by 2025, which is even more achievable now that more markets move to ban new internal-combustion cars in the future. In the meantime, the Tesla Model 3 will go on to enjoy sales successes with some 400,000 bookings logged so far, though it may be a case of making hay while the sun shines.
For more information on Volkswagen and Tesla, check out our Showroom.
