“In 2020, electric VW models will be as good as Teslas, for half the price”
Herbert Diess, the director of German automaker Volkswagen, says his company will launch electric cars in 2020 that are just as good as Tesla’s, but cost half as much. He said that in a German TV program.
Diess emphasized in the ZDF program of the German journalist Maybrit Illner that Volkswagen will acquire a very strong position in the electric vehicle market, Electrek writes. The Volkswagen CEO reports that 30 billion euros have been invested in electric mobility. He points out, among other things, that the existing factory in Zwickau, Germany, has been converted for the production of electric vehicles and that, among other things, a new factory is being built in Shanghai.
All this should ensure that by 2020 Volkswagen electric cars will be on the market that are just as good as Tesla models, but at half the price. He did not provide any further details, such as which Volkswagen models he refers to or which Tesla models he had in mind for the comparison. Reuters previously reported that Diess said more than a year ago that he sees Tesla as the main competitor when it comes to the electric car market.
If the German manufacturer wants to live up to Diess’ claim, it will probably include a new Volkswagen model to be released, the ID Neo. Auto Express writes that this is a hatchback that, according to Volkswagen, comes in different versions, with the cheapest variant getting a 48kWh battery, a range of 330 km and roughly 30,000 euros. The middle version has to reach 400 to 450 km and the most expensive version has an unknown range.
Because this car only has a slightly longer wheelbase than the current Golf and is a hatchback, it does not immediately seem like a serious competitor for Tesla’s current models. Elon Musk’s company will eventually come up with the new Model Y, a crossover SUV. It seems more likely that the ID Neo will at least partly compete with current electric cars from other manufacturers, such as the Hyundai Kona Electric or the Kia e-Niro, which cost around 40,000 euros.