The all-electric VW ID.4 Pro has touched down in South Africa but interested customers won’t be able to get one in their garage for another year or there about.
For now, 10 examples of the electric vehicle (EV) are in the country for testing purposes which will exclusively be driven by select media, dealers, and VIP clients.
VW will only start selling the ID.4 Pro to local consumers in 2025 via a bespoke leasing product that will include maintenance costs and other ownership expenses.
Those wanting to purchase the battery-powered SUV outright must wait until 2026, when it will become available through traditional retail avenues such as bank finance.
To ensure that the rollout of its electric portfolio goes smoothly, VW has already started training key dealers across South Africa on the complexities of EV after-sales support.
It will also equip them with EV charging facilities for future customers in need of a quick top-up whilst out and about.
Responding to a query from the media on why it will take two years between the initial ID.4 pilot project and its mass-market debut, VW gave several good reasons.
First, it said it wants to see how the EVs perform on our roads to determine if they have any unique and unexpected behaviours that must be addressed before they are handed over to paying customers.
Secondly, the domestic subsidiary of VW must be able to make a convincing argument to VW HQ in Germany on why it’s worth the investment to bring EVs to South Africa.
For this, it needs to have secured a minimum of 500 to 1,000 interested consumers who will almost certainly turn into customers of the ID.4 Pro once it goes on sale.
Thirdly, a facelifted ID.4 with new visuals and updated features is due to arrive in Europe in 2025, and the manufacturer said it would rather hold out until it can launch that model in South Africa than go ahead with the introduction of the current model which is already close to four years old.
Finally, the nitty-gritty details of the ID.4 leasing contract must still be ironed out and isn’t something the company can, or should, rush.
Later down the line, VW also intends to introduce the all-electric ID.Buzz to South Africa as part of its leasing catalogue in both panel van and seven-seater guises.
The manufacturer ran a pilot project for the ID.Buzz between November 2023 and May 2024 which allowed it to gain valuable insights into the market, with enough evidence gathered to support the launch of the practical vehicle in the country.
Why the ID.4?
Initially, VW wanted to launch the ID.3 hatchback in South Africa, but it later canned this idea and instead opted for the ID.4 SUV.
The reason for this is that the hatchback segment has stayed relatively consistent over the past few years while demand for crossovers and SUVs simultaneously skyrocketed.
VW explained that the ID.4 provides more space, comfortability, and versatility than its hatchback sibling, which are all important factors South Africans consider when buying a car, which simply made the SUV the better candidate.
Initially, only the ID.4 Pro will be available in the country as it would be too expensive to bring an entire catalogue with different specifications and features to our shores.
The current-generation model is equipped with a rear-mounted motoring pumping out 150kW and 310Nm, lending the SUV a 0-100km/h time of 8.5 seconds.
Power is supplied by a 77kWh battery with a maximum driving range of 500km on the cards. The cell supports up to a 150kW DC cable which sees a 0-80% charge achieved in approximately 40 minutes.
As a modern EV, the ID.4 Pro offers a comprehensive suite of creature comforts, including a 10-inch infotainment screen with wired smartphone mirroring, a 5.3-inch digital driver’s display, a wireless smartphone charger, 30-colour ambient lighting, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, lane assist, park assist, forward-collision warning, and pedestrian monitoring.
VW hasn’t divulged what will be updated in the new ID.4 next year. Regardless, it should be an even more appealing package than what the current model already represents.
At present, VW said it would be too difficult to determine an indicative starting price for its trailblazing EV given the volatility of exchange rates and the fact that it will be launching an updated variant in lieu of the one on sale right now.
For reference, the ID.4 Pro currently starts at €46,335 in Germany, which equates to around R920,000 at today’s exchange rates.
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