VW has always had the chance to bring more than the ID.4 and Buzz to US/CAN for a more affordable EV but they've never really done it. With BYD taking on a huge customer base, it kind of begs the question who is this for?
Volkswagen began manufacturing ID.4 in the US back in 2022 and even before that AFAIK most of the cars they sold in the US weren't imported from Europe.
Of course they might decide that there might not be enough demand for small budget cars in the US to even offer this model but I doubt tariffs would be the primary reason.
Thanks. I assume the tarrifs apply to foreign-made, not foriegn-owned manufacturing (i.e., the VW plant in the US isn't affected). Also, their supply chains will be affected - I'd guess VW's plant has more non-US suppliers but that's not necessarily true.
Is BYD competing in the US/CAN market for passenger automobiles? Presumably VW is building a more affordable EV for the rest of world market where BYD is selling cars?
I've seen some BYD busses, Facebook was using them when I was there, but I don't see any indication that their passenger cars have arrived in US/CA?
Clearly primarily the European market? Both EU and US has put on pretty high tariffs on Chinese EVs so they should have a much easier time competing with BYD.
for /me, currently have VW Polo, this small <€20k city EV would be ideal replacement while keeping the maintenance and easiness of finding a service station in place. In EU vw garages are basically everywhere
