Volkswagen is aiming to expand its Australian electric-car range to include cheaper models – but for now it is not planning a rival for the top-selling Tesla Model 3.
Volkswagen’s upcoming city-sized electric car – known as the Volkswagen ID.2 – is on the wish list for Australian showrooms, but the Passat-sized flagship ID. Aero electric sedan is now unlikely for local showrooms.
Volkswagen Australia executives told media last week they are “working with head office” to bring the Polo-sized electric car to local showrooms, however it has not yet been locked in for our market.
“We’re part of the project, so we’re working with the factory and planning. Do we have confirmation and [start of production dates] and all of that? Not yet,” Volkswagen Australia head of product for passenger vehicles, Michelle Rowney, told media.
If Volkswagen’s electric city hatchback gets the green light for Australia, it is expected to follow the launch of VW Australia’s first electric vehicles, the ID.4 and ID.5 mid-size SUVs, due at the end of 2023 – ahead of the ID .3 small car in 2024.
The ID.2’s twin, the Cupra UrbanRebel – or Raval, as it may be known in production form – has been confirmed for an Australian launch in 2025.
The joint Volkswagen-Skoda-Cupra city-car is also expected to spawn a second Volkswagen electric model in the form of a city SUV – in the same way the Polo’s underpinnings are used for the T-Cross. However, this too is yet to be confirmed for Australia.
As Volkswagen Australia considers expanding its electric-car range for buyers on a budget, it has largely ruled out the Passat-sized ID. Aero (or ID.7) sleek mid-size sedan for local showrooms.
“The Aero is actually really nice, but we don’t have [it] confirmed. Currently, it’s not in our portfolio planning,” Ms Rowney told Drive.
When asked if it the car was available to VW Australia, Ms Rowney said: “If we wanted to push it then maybe it could be, but right now it’s not available to us, and we want to focus more on ID.4, ID .5 and ID.3, where we see our volume potential.”
The Volkswagen ID. Aero is expected to be manufactured in right-hand drive for the UK – however outside of the top-selling Tesla Model 3, sales of sedans and wagons are in sharp decline in Australia.
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Volkswagen Australia’s lukewarm interest in the Volkswagen ID. Aero (ID.7) comes as the company says there is a chance the next-generation Volkswagen Passat – expected to be sold overseas as a wagon only – may not be sold in Australia.
Beyond the ID. Aero, Volkswagen is developing a flagship electric sedan codenamed Project Trinity, which is due in 2028 and is claimed to offer the latest autonomous driving technology – and travel further, and charge faster, than any electric-car before it.
However, this model is also yet to be confirmed for Australia – and showroom arrival timing even for European markets is unclear, following a recent round of delays.
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