SHANGHAI/BEIJING — Volkswagen will stick with its objective of doubling gross sales of its ID electrical autos this 12 months regardless of COVID-19 disruptions, with its China chief, Stephan Wollenstein, calling the goal “promising.”
The ID sequence, which VW produces at its Chinese language joint ventures with SAIC Motor and FAW Group, is driving the automaker’s electrical car ambitions in China, the world’s largest auto market.
VW is anticipating to ship 15,000 to twenty,000 of the ID vehicles monthly within the upcoming months, Wollenstein, the corporate’s China CEO instructed a media briefing on Friday.
“We hope that we will additionally get the required elements in place,” Wollenstein mentioned. “By doing so, we are going to then have the opportunity by the tip of the 12 months to have gross sales of IDs greater than double in comparison with final 12 months.”
The champions of the combustion age – European, U.S. and Japanese automakers – are falling behind native gamers within the booming EV market in China, a rustic that’s key to funding and creating their electrical and autonomous ambitions.
VW isn’t any exception, even because the automaker tries to speed up electrification with the launch of its VW ID vehicles final 12 months.
The automaker first set out the goal in January of doubling gross sales of its ID battery EVs in China this 12 months from the 70,000 models it offered in 2021.
Whereas struggling disruptions from current COVID lockdowns in its main manufacturing websites, the corporate mentioned it offered 59,400 EVs in China within the first six months this 12 months, contributing to 80 p.c of its complete EV gross sales together with plug-in hybrids, which doubled from a 12 months in the past.
Yale Zhang, head of Shanghai-based consultancy Automotive Foresight, additionally anticipated VW to succeed in its objective with a full-year quantity of 150,000 to 200,000 ID autos.
“However that’s actually nothing to write down house about for VW China,” he mentioned.
Zhang mentioned the automaker has 5 ID fashions in showrooms in China proper now and should add one other earlier than 12 months’s finish, which in complete can be doing quantity that Tesla generates with only one mannequin.
“Nobody at Volkswagen must be glad about that.”
VW, the largest international automaker by gross sales in China, mentioned its total China gross sales fell 21 p.c within the first half of the 12 months to 1.47 million models.
Wollenstein, nevertheless, predicted a “tremendously excessive development” within the second half for each VW and the general trade because of insurance policies spurring demand.