Volkswagen Australia is very aware of the criticism levelled against it for the time it took to bring its first electric vehicles (EVs) Down Under, and the German brand’s local product chief has now responded to “naysayers”.
Speaking with CarExpert at the long-awaited Australian launch of the Volkswagen ID.4 and ID.5 mid-size electric SUVs – which were first released in Europe in 2020 and 2021 respectively, and have since been updated – national product manager for Volkswagen passenger vehicles Arjun Nidigallu said the stars needed to align for the pivotal models in a rapidly changing local EV market.
“From a product perspective, we had to get the right spec for the right price and be competitive. Those three things need to align,” Mr Nidigallu said.
“There’s no point offering a car that has less than 500km range, for example, in Australia; or for driving sensibilities, a lot of our customers like our more powerful drivetrains because of the torquiness and the drive feel, and that’s synonymous with our brand.
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ID.4 Pro -
“The previous generation that was available in Europe had much less torque – 75 per cent less. We don’t think that’s the right product that would represent the brand for our market. Yes, it will work in other markets, but that’s the reason.
“So there will be naysayers, but this is the best representation of our brand for our product strategy.”
Furthermore, Volkswagen Australia’s acting general manager of corporate communications Daniel DeGasperi told CarExpert the wait has resulted in a product offering that is now very competitively priced and specified in a burgeoning market.
“For the first time in many, many years, you have an elevated Volkswagen product that is more attainable with higher specification than top 10 brands,” Mr DeGasperi said.
“With the ID.4, we’re not really at an elevated price, in fact we’re better value than the majority of competitors.”
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ID.5 GTX -
During the media presentation for the ID.4 Pro and ID.5 GTX, Mr Nidigallu lined the ID.4 Pro up against a number of rival electric SUVs currently on sale in Australia – including the facelifted Tesla Model Y and new BYD Sealion 7, as well as the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6.
The VW offers more driving range per charge than its similarly sized competitors, as well as more torque, competitive DC fast-charging speeds, and more equipment from the base level such as Matrix LED headlights, adaptive suspension, three-zone climate control and massaging front seats.
While Volkswagen is launching its app-based Goconnect connected services with its new ID. range of electric vehicles, it’s not a proprietary system like those offered by Tesla, Kia, Hyundai and Toyota – perhaps its most glaring omission against a growing number of EV vehicle competitors.
Regardless, the feature set and compatible phone app allows owners to view their parking position, visualise the vehicle’s most recent trips, interact and book appointments with their dealer, view important errors and warnings, and view the high-voltage battery’s status. A five-year subscription is free with purchase of the vehicle.
Volkswagen has also established a partnership with Ampol AmpCharge to offer home charging units and will soon announce a charging program with the charging provider. The first 500 customers to drive away an ID.4 Pro or ID.5 GTX will also receive a 7kW AC home charger for free – including installation – valued at $1899.
Stay tuned for CarExpert’s Australian first drive review of the Volkswagen ID.4 and ID.5 on Thursday, April 10
MORE: Everything Volkswagen ID.4 | ID.5
