Volkswagen sales director Jürgen Stackmann has assured that the start of the new electric car ID.3 will take place in summer as announced. Due to problems with the software, it has now been speculated that the compact car newly constructed on the MEB e-car kit could be delayed.
“We are sure that we can do that via the summer timetable,” said Stackmann according to media in Wolfsburg. There Volkswagen is currently informing its dealers and importers about the most important projects in 2020, including the Golf 8 and above all the ID.3.
Volkswagen recently had problems with new software systems. Initially, the company was not able to offer all of the equipment options for the Golf 8. “I am very happy that we have the software releases now,” said Stackmann. Deliveries to some dealers were “not perfect” in the first few weeks, but the Golf is now on schedule. The Volkswagen Executive Board did not specify what the ID.3 was like. According to insiders, the series initially runs off the assembly line without finished software and still has to be revised before starting.
The systems of the ID.3 and other new models are once again significantly more complex than those of the latest Golf generation. Volkswagen also plans to gradually integrate its dealers into a digital e-commerce system that is designed to create interfaces with customers. In order to get a handle on the complexity, the group is upgrading its digital competence, among other things by joining the specialized company Diconium.
A digital strategy for sales is “an elementary component,” said Stackmann. In future, every customer should be able to take advantage of offers via a user ID. The concept will be introduced “in coordination with the dealership”, local Volkswagen representatives remain important points of contact for customers. The online infrastructures for a planned “digital shopping center” and also payment options for refueling and charging or for multimedia apps in the car will initially be set up in Europe.
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