Volkswagen has announced it’s on track with the electrification of its vehicle fleet. Since the first ID.3 models were handed over to customers in October 2020, Volkswagen has delivered 500,000 electric vehicles (EVs) from the ID. family worldwide. This is despite the persistently strained supply situation.
One year earlier than planned, the company has reached a milestone in the implementation of its ACCELERATE strategy to become an emission-free, software-driven mobility provider.
This shows that electric vehicle sales globally are expanding at a rapid rate and nearly all of the main players in the auto industry have electric models in their range. All of these have seen huge upturns in sales over the last two years.
This list includes BMW, Ford, General Motors, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes, Nissan, Toyota and Geely with its own models and subsidiaries including Lotus, Volvo and Polestar. All of them are planning a huge expansion in their electric vehicle ranges in the coming years and investing billions to achieve this.
Imelda Labbé, Board Member for Sales, Marketing and After Sales at Volkswagen, said: “Delivery of half a million ID.s confirms that the Volkswagen models are being well-received by our customers – all over the world. We are on the right track with our electric mobility campaign and our success story continues.
“Our focus is unchanged. We want to make Volkswagen the most desirable brand for sustainable mobility. We are doing our utmost to deliver the roughly 135,000 ID.s on order to our customers as quickly as possible. However, due to the persistently strained situation as regards the supply of parts we are repeatedly having to adjust production.”
From 2030, Volkswagen will only produce electric vehicles in Europe. By 2030, all-electric vehicles are expected to account for at least 70 per cent of Volkswagen’s unit sales in Europe.
In the USA and China, the company is targeting an electric vehicle share of more than 50 per cent for the same period.
Labbé said: “Norway is the forerunner in electric mobility. The ID.4 topped the registration statistics there in October. This example shows that the ID. family product portfolio matches the needs of our customers.”
Volkswagen is continuing to expand its range of electric vehicles and is set to launch 10 new electric models by 2026.
Labbé said: “Volkswagen will have the broadest portfolio of electric vehicles in the automotive industry: From the entry-level e-car with a target price of under €25,000 to the new flagship Aero B we will have the right offer in every segment.”
MEB Electric Platform
Volkswagen’s modular electric drive matrix (MEB) has been a decisive factor in the accelerated boost to the global electric mobility campaign under the brand’s ACCELERATE strategy.
Designed especially for Volkswagen’s electric drive system, this vehicle architecture offers long ranges, plenty of interior space and the possibility for over-the-air software updates. The MEB serves as the technical basis for all the fully-electric and fully-networked vehicles in the ID. family.
With its consistent focus on all-electric drives and its ability to be used in vehicles from a range of segments throughout the entire Volkswagen Group, the MEB generates huge economies of scale, reduces the costs of electric mobility and expedites the transition towards carbon-neutral mobility.
Thanks to its ‘design for manufacturing’, the MEB platform is also specifically tailored for fast and efficient production. This enables the generation of extensive economies of scale, which make electric vehicles less expensive and thus more affordable for a great number of people.
In October 2022, Volkswagen announced the Group’s global electric vehicle global deliveries were up 25 per cent for the year, showing the ramp of electric vehicle sales.
