Select Language:
Volkswagen Group has unveiled its first extended-range electric vehicle model on a global scale in China, aiming to stay competitive with local rivals. The vehicle, named ID. Era 9X, is a six-seat SUV hailed as the largest passenger car produced by the brand to date. It was launched yesterday by a joint venture comprising Volkswagen and China’s SAIC Motor.
Initially, the company’s former China CEO expressed skepticism toward extended-range EVs, considering them a temporary solution. However, due to the rising consumer demand for such models in China, the automaker decided to enter this particular market segment.
In China, multiple powertrain options—including fully electric and hybrid systems—are expected to coexist for the foreseeable future. To remain adaptable, Volkswagen plans to diversify its product offerings, according to the regional CEO of Volkswagen Passenger Cars.
The target for this year is to increase the share of new energy vehicle sales in China from 5% to over 20%. Achieving this requires the ID. Era 9X, along with six other new energy vehicles slated for release this year, to perform strongly in sales.
Despite nearly 1.24 million extended-range EVs sold in China last year, the model still faces obstacles. Competition is fierce, particularly from new brands like Li Auto and Aito, which are already leading in the premium segment. Leapmotor, the best-selling NEV startup in the country, has adopted a dual strategy offering both pure electric and extended-range models.
Furthermore, the pace of growth for extended-range EV sales slowed significantly last year to just 3%, compared to 24% growth for pure electric vehicles and 8.8% for plug-in hybrids. The surge in new model offerings appears to have diluted the market share of existing vehicles rather than expanding overall sales.
Currently, nearly 50 extended-range EV models are available in China, with more expected this year, likely leading to increased market saturation.
ChatGPT
Perplexity
Gemini AI
Grok AI
