With Volkswagen and its dealer body reporting strong demand, the new ID. Polo looks like an instant hit. The Skoda Epiq and Cupra Raval, built on the same platform, show initial signs of similar success.
The launch of more affordable EV’s seems to capture the interest of European buyers. The waiting list for VW Group’s small electric family is reported to have grown to 10 months.
Volkswagen says it has an order bank of 30.000 units for its ID. Polo, with prices starting at € 24.995 in Belgium.
Although the base model of the Epiq is not yet available to order, Skoda indicates 35.000 orders for its small electric car. Cupra also says there is strong demand for its Raval. The three models are built on the same MEB+ electric platform, forming the group’s ‘Electric Urban Car Family’.
Is electric going mainstream?
The VW ID. Polo had its world premiere in April of this year. Back then, it was priced at €33,795 (in Germany) for the mid-range ‘Life’ variant featuring a 52 kWh battery capacity. A sub-€25,000 model was promised to make its debut closer to the launch date.
With the € 24.995 ‘Trend’ trim and a 37 kWh battery pack now available, the brand finally has its affordable electric car. The ‘small’ battery can now also be specced on the higher trims, while a faster ID. The Polo GTI, with a power output of 166 kW, will be launched later this year.
With an electric range of around 300 km at this price, the ID. Polo and its sister models seem to be convincing buyers. VW has commented to the German magazine Automobilwoche that there is “very positive customer demand”. Whether this is structural or rather a launch frenzy remains to be seen.
An unnamed major dealer group is quoted as having said that the ID. Polo is “sold out”. The 10-month waiting list that is being discussed, seems however to mostly be for individual configurations.
Batch production of similarly specced cars for stock and standard sales should be available for delivery faster. This can be seen as a good sign of demand, with individual customers willing to wait and pay for non-standard cars rather than buy base-stock models.
Production increase
VW has said the ID. Polo has “significantly exceeded original expectations”. Does that mean the waiting list is due to production planning being too lean?
The group is now exploring ways to increase production of its ‘Electric Urban Car Family’. The ID. Polo and Cupra Raval roll off the lines in the Martorell plant, while the Skoda Epiq is also built in Spain, at the group’s plant in Pamplona.
Meanwhile, VW dealers are also reporting strong demand for the ID. Cross electric SUV and the ID.3 Neo. The popularity of the small electric models is an encouraging sign for the group and the market as a whole. Customers moving to affordable electric cars in lower segments will help manufacturers achieve CO2 goals, even if those goals are somewhat eased.
