Volkswagen confirms 2021 local EV launch

The first Volkswagen battery-electric vehicle to launch in Australia will be the I.D. hatchback in 2021, with an electrified SUV expected to follow around 12 months later.

Volkswagen Group Australia has also confirmed it will follow its parent’s global commitment to EVs with a succession of electric vehicle launches in the years after that.

While the Volkswagen I.D. hatchback has only been seen in concept form so far, a very similar looking production version is scheduled to be revealed in late 2019. The SUV will be based on the I.D. Crozz and Crozz II concepts.

Volkswagen Group Australia marketing general manger Ben Wilks said going with the I.D. hatch, which some media have tipped will be called Neo, would give the company the opportunity to start showing off the concept to potential fleet and government customers at the earliest opportunity.

“That’s a long process to introduce ourselves and the vehicle concept to those customers, so that’s a reason to start with the I.D.,” he said.

“And then as we see the opportunities in the market, the SUV is a strong opportunity for us and that will probably be the next off.

“There are a number of other products you have already seen details of and as we see a business case for each of them it’s just a matter of determining the right time to fight them into the market and our main range.”

Based on currently known plans, Volkswagen is one of few mainstream brands in Australia to have definite EV launch schedules.

Hyundai and Nissan will lead the way with their IONIQ and MkII LEAF models respectively, but luxury brands including Jaguar, Porsche, Audi and Mercedes-Benz are also going all-electric in pursuit of EV disruptor Tesla.

Volkswagen has embraced EV globally in the wake of the Dieselgate debacle which has cost it billions, seriously damaged the future prospects of diesel as a passenger car powertrain, sullied its own reputation, exposed the emission cheats of other brands and prompted a significant tightening of emissions testing regulations.

Volkswagen’s local EV commitment is unlikely to lead to any significant sales volume any time soon, as Australians show little inclination to electrify and government offers little incentive to swap from fossil fuels.

VW had tried to get the electrified Golf GTE for Australia, but that plan fell over due to lack of supply, so the focus has shifted to I.D.

“We will definitely have something here [I.D.] in 2021,” said Volkswagen Group Australia managing director Michael Bartsch.

“I think going into the EV market you have to be seen as early adopters.

“This is going to be a journey where you need to get in as early as possible. Everyone will eventually get there … Basically, the sooner you come into the market the sooner you will start building the infrastructure to support it.

“It’s no point waiting until you have the big volume model and then say to the dealers and everyone else ‘now you need to start preparing for this’. You need to take the right steps moving into it and that’s the way we would approach it.”

Based on VW’s all-electric MEB architecture, the five-door I.D. was first shown at the Paris motor show in 2016.

Volkswagen is claiming the Golf-size I.D. hatch will deliver 125kW of power and be capable of driving between 400km and 600km on a single full charge, depending on the size of the battery pack its driver purchases.

Apart from the I.D. Crozz SUV concepts, other concepts spun off MEB have been the Kombi-recalling Buzz and Budd-e prople-movers, and the Vizzion flagship sedan.

By 2025 the Volkswagen plan is to not only have a family of I.D. models but a total of at least 20 all-electric models in its range, including electrified variants of its orthodox vehicles.

“The very clear statement from our management is that we will get access to all the EV models,” said Bartsch. “Any EV version that is released in Europe will be available in Australia. The question is simply when?”