Cars are dirt cheap in China. Take the Volkswagen ID.3 for example: it was already a lot cheaper than here, but due to a temporary promotion, the electric hatchback in China can be ordered from just under 16,000 euros.
If you want to order a Volkswagen ID.3 in the Netherlands, you will currently spend at least 33,040 euros. Then you get a stock model of which both the government (2950 euros SEPP subsidy) and Volkswagen (3000 euros stock benefit) pay a part.
Until recently, it cost 18,400 euros to order an ID.3 in China, but due to a discount promotion until July 31, the Chinese only pay 125,900 yuan – about 15,890 euros. This discount of around 16 percent makes the Chinese ID.3 more than half cheaper than the European variant.
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Stiff competition
The biggest reason for the discount is the stiff competition that Volkswagen faces in China. Tesla and BYD in particular are still significantly more popular in the field of electric cars in the country. Tesla has an EV market share of 9 percent in China, BYD even has almost a quarter of the market with 24 percent. Volkswagen has to make do with 3 percent.
The BYD Dolphin in particular is seen as a major competitor of the Volkswagen ID.3. The Chinese hatchback costs at least 116,800 yuan in China (converted about 14,750 euros), which means that the Dolphin is still cheaper than its German competitor even after the discount of the ID.3. In the Netherlands, the Dolphin costs 29,990 euros.
Joint venture
The Volkswagen ID.3 that the Chinese can order at a discount is built by SAIC-Volkswagen. This is a joint venture between Volkswagen and the local SAIC Motor – one of the five largest car manufacturers in China. It concerns the ID.3 with 170 hp, 310 Nm of torque and a 0-100 sprint time of 7.6 seconds. The EV contains a battery pack of 58 kWh, which gives the Chinese ID.3 a range of 450 kilometers. This has been measured with the Chinese CLTC measurement method, so a range of 350 kilometers is more realistic.
2023-07-10 10:45:00
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