The initial response to a an electric Volkswagen hatchback designed to help dethrone Tesla and bring EVs to the mass market has been so overwhelming that it “overloaded” Volkswagen’s IT systems, according to Bloomberg.
More than 10,000 people have plunked down about $1120 each to get in line for the Volkswagen ID.3 electric hatchback, a number that “far exceeded” expectations. Those who order from the initial run of 30,000 special edition cars get a year’s worth of free charging at stations connected to the company’s WeCharge app.
Just yesterday, we reported about the ID.3, a product of the company’s $34 billion investment into electric vehicles.
VW sales chief Juergen Stackmann said recently:
“We are not playing. This is the car to beat for the future, for all our competitors.”
The introduction of the ID.3 comes on the precipice of electric vehicles breaking through to the mass market, which still hasn’t happened in full yet.
Reservations have been opened for customers in 29 countries across Europe, including Germany, Norway and the Netherlands. The car will be officially unveiled in September, and Stackmann expects the company reservation book to be full ahead of the event.
The first “limited-edition” run of the vehicle will cost less than €40,000 and have a range of ~260 miles. The basic version will have a range of ~180 miles and the top-of-the-line model will have a range ~330 miles.
Tesla has tacitly acknowledged the rivalry, sending an email to prospective German customers on Wednesday reminding them that its Model S and Model X both have the best range of electric cars in production. The assembly of the ID.3 will start later this year and first deliveries are planned for mid 2020. The company is targeting 100,000 sales per year of the new model.
“Volkswagen is a big player, and when we go, a lot of people follow,” Stackmann concluded.
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