Within the first quarter of 2023, Volkswagen accounted for lower than 2% of the US auto market. It doesn’t have a giant presence within the US. But it surely may. Toyota (+11% of the market) and Honda (+7% of the market) grew to turn out to be enormous gamers available in the market. Hyundai and Kia (+5% of the market every) extra just lately grew to turn out to be enormous gamers available in the market. Why wouldn’t Volkswagen have the ability to do the identical? In fact, you want an angle and a strong pathway to such large development. You’ll be able to’t simply keep on with the identical technique that’s had you lingering across the identical stage and even dropping gross sales.
A major change in a market supplies a possibility for corporations with no or low market share to develop in prominence. However they should see the change taking place, bounce to the entrance, and be courageous.
Clearly, the auto business world wide is electrifying. The US is a bit behind Europe and China, nevertheless it’s following the identical pattern. Volkswagen is aiming to be a worldwide chief in electrification, and by many metrics, it’s (even when it’s not first or second on the rostrum). Nevertheless, within the US, it’s doing little greater than its rivals. It has introduced one electrical crossover to market. Who else has performed that? Oh, everybody.
I went to an Electrify America charging station with my aunt and uncle just lately for his or her first EV quick cost. On the station, there have been electrical crossovers from Jaguar, Ford, Hyundai, and Mercedes. I’m positive if we wait a bit longer, we may have seen electrical crossovers from different manufacturers pop up. Just a few toes down the parking zone there have been a bunch of Tesla Superchargers, the place the queen of the electrical crossover market may cost — that will be the highest promoting Tesla Mannequin Y after all. Bringing an electrical crossover to market will not be courageous or daring or progressive. It’s what each automaker and their mom is doing.
The one factor I can say about Volkswagen is that it appears intent on producing and promoting a couple of extra of those than most automakers, so it’s obtained a semi-leadership place available in the market (it nonetheless closely trails Tesla and fairly closely trails GM/Chevrolet as properly). Nevertheless, there’s an enormous opening available in the market — a gap that’s about to get even greater — that Volkswagen has determined to disregard.
Volkswagen ID.3 charging. Picture by Cynthia Shahan | CleanTechnica.
It’s true, smaller automobiles usually are not as widespread in the US as bigger automobiles like crossovers. Nevertheless, that doesn’t imply nobody buys them. And because the choices and competitors are extra restricted, there’s extra of a gap to promote some freakin’ automobiles. What non-Tesla EV sees extra gross sales within the US? The smaller, cheaper Chevy Bolt. The Bolt is on monitor for about 80,000 gross sales this 12 months, whereas the ID.4 is on monitor for about 40,000. Volkswagen already has a smaller, cheaper model of the ID.4 that it may promote within the US — the ID.3. It additionally has the even smaller and even cheaper ID.2all coming to market, but Volkswagen says it gained’t promote this car right here both.
Whats up! Nice questions. There is no plan to launch an ID.2 mannequin within the US right now, however all future ideas/updates are posted on our https://t.co/TUZ713DXRo web site. You are right that the cell know-how within the lithium ion battery used for the ID.4 is prismatic. (1/2) -KO
— Volkswagen (@VW) March 20, 2023
Hello Scott, we do not have plans to launch the ID.3 within the US, however all idea autos will seem on our https://t.co/TUZ713EvGW web site, below “fashions > idea autos.” You’ll be able to be taught extra about our ID.4 and upcoming ID. Buzz there as properly. 🙂 -KO
— Volkswagen (@VW) March 23, 2023
Apart from the truth that Volkswagen may truly promote ID.2all and ID.3 autos within the US if it tried, there are different advantages to bringing these EVs throughout the ocean. Having a lineup of various EVs of various sizes and costs brings in numerous potential consumers. Frankly, as routine and apparent as it’s, having a super-low-cost mannequin you could blast throughout the airwaves, on TV commercials, and in digital and print advertisements is a superb option to pull folks right into a Volkswagen dealership, after which upsell them an ID.3 or ID.4. Traditionally, it’s been a giant a part of the sport. Volkswagen may carve out a good portion of the marketplace for itself by doing this, particularly since nobody else appears to be doing it.
GM is discontinuing gross sales of the Chevy Bolt EV and Bolt EUV on the finish of 2023. So far as we’re conscious, there will likely be an enormous gap available in the market in that dimension and worth section when that occurs. We’re not conscious of every other fashions coming into the US in that portion of the market. The invitation to deliver the ID.3 and ID2.all to market is like probably the most gigantic billboard. It is a once-in-an-era likelihood to considerably develop market share and mark your self as a real chief within the electrification of transport. Think about what number of ID.4, ID.3, ID.2all, and ID.Buzz EVs Volkswagen may promote if it introduced all of them to the US? My guess is that it may simply double its US market share.
Extra possible than not, although, Volkswagen goes to disregard this chance, similar to others are doing. Extra possible than not, this section of the market will sit empty and uncared for. Extra possible than not, the possibility for vital market share development will go legacy automakers by. After which Tesla will deliver its “Mannequin C” (or no matter its lower-cost mannequin will likely be known as) to market and gobble up extra market share, proceed its disruption of the US auto market. Show me improper, Volkswagen. Show me improper.
Associated story: The VW ID.4 Is Cooler Than I Thought — 6 Options My Tesla Doesn’t Have
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