Volkswagen said on Friday it has delivered the 1.5 millionth vehicle from its ID family of electric cars, five years after the line-up debuted, underscoring its ambition to expand its share in the global EV market.
The milestone vehicle, an ID.7 Tourer Pro, was built at Volkswagen’s Emden plant in Germany, which now manufactures electric vehicles exclusively following a more than €1 billion ($1.09 billion) investment to convert it from internal combustion engine production. The car was handed over to a German customer in the presence of Volkswagen board members and Lower Saxony Minister President Olaf Lies.
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The ID range launched in September 2020 with the ID.3, Volkswagen’s first purpose-built EV platform. Before that, the company’s electric models, such as the e-Golf and e-Up!, were based on existing combustion-engine cars. “1.5 million ID. models delivered – this clearly shows that Volkswagen is a pioneer in the field of electromobility,” said Martin Sander, board member for sales, marketing and after sales. “This confirms that our portfolio contains the vehicles our customers need. As a company, we are on the right path.”
Sander said Volkswagen remains a “trailblazer in the ramp-up phase of electromobility,” but called for a “clear message and specific Government incentives” to help reduce scepticism among private buyers and stimulate demand. “The goal is clear: Volkswagen wants to make electromobility accessible to everybody – affordable, reliable and sustainable,” he said.
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Volkswagen produces EVs not only in Emden but also in other German plants, as well as in Chattanooga in the United States and in Foshan, Changsha and Anting in China. Lies said the ID.7 “embodies the strength of Lower Saxony and is proof of the state’s ability to transform. The entire Volkswagen team can take pride in these statistics.”