Toronto, Ontario – Hot off the announcement of their brand new fully-electric SUV, the ID4, Volkswagen Canada CEO Pierre Boutin delved into what he is calling a “transformation” for the company in a recent interview.
Boutin spoke about the changing environment around EVs (electric vehicles) and how VW plans on claiming its stake in the Canadian market, starting with the ID4, bound for Canadian roads sometime in 2021.
“This vehicle is extremely important to us,” said Boutin. “First of all, it contributes to the expansion of our SUVs. SUVs are really important in this (Candian) market, so it’s one more SUV that we’re adding to the lineup. The second element, is in terms of a percentage, as you know at the beginning we’ll have 100 percent production from our unique plant in Zwickau, Germany. From that moment on to 2022, we strongly believe that ID4 will account for double digits, in terms of percentage of total sales of Volkswagens in this country and will get into five digits in terms of total volume.”
For Boutin and VW, the challenge lies in garnering sufficient interest in EVs in Canada when considering both the variance in provincial government incentives offered to EV purchasers as well as addressing the general buying tendencies of Canadian drivers.
“They have expectations for mobility. They are looking for the easiest way, the most valuable way. That’s why we need to tailor to their needs in Canada. The reason why we’ve selected the ID4 to start with as an SUV, in Canada nearly 80 of vehicles sold in the market are trucks and SUVs. So we feel we’re really in the sweet spot of it,” said Boutin.
This is all part of VWs grand new marketing strategy to offer a depth of EV models unmatched by competitors while also contributing their already ambitious climate goals.
“Our aim is very clear. It’s not for a vehicle, or a few vehicles or for a couple of years or the next five years. We’ve set ourselves the goal of achieving carbon neutrality for everything we do and deliver to consumers by 2050; reducing our carbon footprint by 30 percent by 2025.”
Boutin goes on, “With the ID lineup, what we are trying to accomplish is zero-emission mobility for everyone. Not only for millionaires – everyone. Yes, our expectations are very high, relative to the ID family. So, in itself, I believe that the ID4 has the soul of the brand. It’s not just words. It’s not just marketing. It’s a real transformation for our company.”
As for specific details surrounding the Canadian rollout of the ID4, Boutin was able to share some insight.
“What we are looking at is next year we’ll have, more or less, 30-40 dealers selling the vehicles in Canada, so that’s 2021. 2022, we’ll have probably about a hundred dealers selling it. Then by 2023 we’ll have everybody.”
