In the medium term, there will be no cheap electric cars at VW. By the middle of the decade, only models in the price range from 25,000 euros are to be launched on the market.
Wolfsburg - Things aren't really going well at Volkswagen at the moment. Although the company made more sales and profits in 2022, there is still a crunch in the gears. This became obvious when VW boss Oliver Blume replaced the management staff at Cariad, the group division responsible for the development of its own car software.
VW boss rejects cheap e-cars: not less than 20,000 euros
VW is also lagging behind in sales of electric cars, especially in the important Chinese market. One problem with this is that the company does not have cheap electric car models in its portfolio, a segment that is of great importance in China. Although VW announced the ID.2all electric small car in March, the two-door model with a range of up to 450 kilometers will not be delivered until 2025. In addition, at around 25,000 euros, it is not particularly cheap.
VW boss Oliver Blume initially wants to offer © electric cars in the price range of 25,000 euros Britta Pedersen/dpa
Already at the presentation of the ID.2all, VW announced that it was working on an electric car for less than 20,000 euros "despite all the challenges". In an interview with Bild am Sonntag (14 May), Blume confirmed the plan, albeit with one small caveat. There will be an e-car "not less than 20,000 euros, but in the price region around 20,000 euros". "I think this is a worthwhile consideration and a sensible goal for the VW brand." For Volkswagen, this would be the "step after next". Initially, customers could look forward to various electric cars from the group for around 25,000 euros. They are expected to be launched in the middle of the decade.
VW in China: Brand continues to have "great charisma"
According to Blume, VW is said to be "the strongest international car manufacturer" in the important Chinese market. In China, a quarter of all cars sold last year were electric cars. VW expects this share to rise to 50 percent in the next two to three years. On the question of Chinese competition, Blume said that the Chinese had learned a lot in recent decades and were setting an enormous pace of innovation.
"They use e-cars for short distances and in the big megacities," said the VW boss. In rural areas, VW's cars with hybrid drives or combustion models "continue to be very successful". The Volkswagen brand "has great charisma". Blume said VW was the market leader in combustion engine models there. "We want to transfer our strengths to electric vehicles."
Cheap electric cars from European manufacturers: Only Dacia has a model for around 20,000 euros
An electric small car for around 20,000 euros is already offered in Europe by the Romanian manufacturer Dacia. According to the company, the Dacia Spring has a range of up to 230 kilometers. Dacia is a subsidiary of Renault. Renault itself wants to launch an electric small car in the price range of the ID.2024all in 2. Opel's parent company Stellantis also has such plans.
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Especially for small cars, the total costs for an electric vehicle are currently still much higher than for a classic combustion engine. In terms of purchase alone, the small cars are currently almost twice as expensive as the combustion engine variant, as the ADAC recently explained.
