The ID.7 Struggles in China: Things Aren’t Looking Good for Volkswagen

If the success of a European car in China isn’t a guarantee of bright tomorrows, Volkswagen would certainly have appreciated a bit more enthusiasm for its ID.7.

The large Volkswagen ID.7 is not yet on sale in Europe, but already available for order in China. With 300 orders recorded in 72 hours, it hasn’t sparked passions…

China is a pioneer for electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, and new models commonly display thousands of pre-orders just days after the vehicle’s launch. Unfortunately, this is not the case for the ID.7, and if Chinese consumers are not interested in the ID.7, American consumers might not be either. China has always tended to mirror the American market in some ways.

Overall, Volkswagen’s electric strategy deployment is not without its hurdles. To survive in the Chinese market, Volkswagen ID.3 and ID.4 had to offer significant price reductions last summer to stimulate sluggish sales and make the cars more competitive against domestic Chinese giants like BYD and Geely. In Europe, Volkswagen has slowed down the production rate of the factories manufacturing the ID.3 and ID.4, citing a slowdown in demand. Audi is also reducing its electric vehicle rollout, disappointed by the growth in electric vehicle sales.

Across all markets, the ID.7 faces fierce competition from the Hyundai Ioniq 6 and the Tesla Model 3, two proven and reliable brands that sell very well. It’s not that the ID.7 is a bad car, but it’s clear that this vehicle unfortunately struggles to stand out from the competition. With a very satisfying base equipment and a five-star Euro NCAP safety rating, it has everything to appeal, but perhaps it just needs a bit of sparkle on its very respectable, well-behaved German dress.

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