The pre-booking process for Volkswagen’s all-electric ID series kicks off in the first half of 2019, a spokeswoman for the German carmaker has confirmed.
Pumping billions in the electrification of the auto group, the flagship electric model of the Volkswagen ID will be the first of the group’s electric models to go on sale.
The confirmation was made via German website Automobil Produktion, and it is assumed at this stage pre-orders will first be opened for German customers.
The pre-order business model is proving popular with electric cars; it has already succeeded with Tesla’s Model 3 leaving the California carmaker racing to boost weekly production rates to meet an estimated 450,000 pre-orders.
South Korean carmaker Hyundai has also experienced success in pre-orders although to a smaller degree; it’s all-electric Kona was so popular the carmaker had to close order books before the first Kona had even rolled onto shore.
Volkswagen is also relying on this method for introducing its all-electric ID, and although for now it is remaining silent on how much the pre-order deposit will be, it is clearly expecting huge interest with a full 12 months before sales begin in 2020.
Volkswagen is serious about its stance towards electric mobility; VW chief strategist Michael Jost said just last week that from 2026 the group plans to halt all development of combustion engine cars.
With the Volkswagen brand alone making plans to invest over €44billion ($A69billion) in e-mobility and put 50 all-electric models on the road by 2025, the success of it’s flagship ID brand is paramount.
“With the ID, our move into the age of electromobility and the networking of our brand will be tangible for our customers as well. It will be the first fully networked and fully electric vehicle for “New Volkswagen,” director of sales Jürgen Stackmann said according to Automobil Produktion.
Thomas Ulbrich, member of Volkswagen’s e-mobility management board, told Automobil Produktion in an interview that, “The first vehicle in the ID series will be an icon, just as Bug and Golf were in their generation.”
The ID is to be built in Zwickau, Saxony, where the conversion to the first plant for pure electric cars is already under full steam, so to speak. Production of the ID is scheduled to start in November 2019.
Bridie Schmidt is associate editor for The Driven, sister site of Renew Economy. She has been writing about electric vehicles since 2018, and has a keen interest in the role that zero-emissions transport has to play in sustainability. She has participated in podcasts such as Download This Show with Marc Fennell and Shirtloads of Science with Karl Kruszelnicki and is co-organiser of the Northern Rivers Electric Vehicle Forum. Bridie also owns a Tesla Model Y and has it available for hire on evee.com.au.