Volkswagen of America executives are still working with their German counterparts to lock up sufficient allocation of the ID4 — VW's new Tiguan-size battery-electric crossover — from the single German plant supplying Europe and North America.
Some 99 percent of Volkswagen's 650 U.S. dealers have signed up to sell the ID4 when it goes on sale late this year. VW is under some pressure to get the vehicle in U.S. dealerships — at least those in zero-emission vehicle states — by the end of 2020 to fully comply with the terms of its multibillion-dollar settlement over its 2015 diesel- emissions scandal. The BEV is to be revealed globally on Sept. 23 and will be available in all but a handful of U.S. dealerships next year.
"The factory [in Zwickau, Germany] is ramping up hard" since the start of production this month, said Duncan Movassaghi, executive vice president of sales and marketing for Volkswagen of America. "We believe that the demand for the car globally will be strong, and we're still working with our colleagues in Germany to get the very best allocation we can to the U.S. market." He said Volkswagen's board of management and senior leadership have "been very, very supportive" of making sure the compact crossover will be available in sufficient numbers when it goes on sale.