Why aren’t only e-cars causing problems at VW?

In Germany, VW is number 1, but 2021 has left its mark. In China alone, the group was unable to build 600,000 cars, and electric cars are falling short of expectations. That the trend reversal will succeed is not a sure-fire success.

The German car industry did not have an easy year behind it, over 10 percent fewer new registrations were recorded in Germany overall. Industry leader VW also had to accept setbacks in this country.

VW collapses: chip shortage is causing problems

In China, the most important foreign market, they are even greater: Sales of the Volkswagen Group shrank by 14 percent. The volume brands VW and Škoda suffered particularly badly, while things went better in the luxury segment, for example at Porsche. Nevertheless: “600,000 cars lost in production.” explains China boss Stephan Wöllenstein (source: mirror). The number shows the extent to which supply bottlenecks, chip shortages and sometimes plant closures are noticeable during the pandemic.

There were also problems with e-cars, the group sold just over 70,000 electric cars in China, 80,000 to 100,000 were planned. In 2018 – before the effects of the pandemic, but reduced by the trade dispute with the USA – 22.75 million cars were sold in China. Around 4.1 million came from the VW Group (source: VW). In comparison, the e-car numbers don’t make much.

After the slump in 2021, the aim is to counter this with even stronger growth of 15 to 16 percent in the current year. the The importance of e-cars has been recognized VW wants to at least double sales there. However, there is no guarantee that the plan will succeed. Wöllenstein: “There is great purchasing power in society. It is we, the industry, that cannot deliver.”

German e-car buyers are also affected

The necessary raw materials should be available for 2022: VW alone has made provisions for 160,000 to 200,000 ID models with semiconductors. The China boss is sure that sell all production to be able to Experts expect that restrictions on the international movement of goods will become more relative over the course of the year.

The latest addition to VW’s range of e-cars is the ID.5:

However, the situation will probably not be completely over in 2022, especially since there is also a need to catch up on what was lost. In the end not only the Chinese market is waiting. German consumers have to put up with long waiting times for new cars. VW was recently unable to offer several electric cars from its ID series in all versions.