BEV shift prompts VW to overhaul sales process

VOLKSWAGEN Australia, which will finally begin selling battery electric vehicles here with the ID.4 and ID.5 SUV models mid-2024 followed by the Kombi-aping ID.Buzz and ID.Buzz Cargo late in the year, has reimagined its online buying tools in anticipation of the new range

To go live in the first quarter, a new web configurator dubbed the Seamless ID Web Buying Experience, has new features, more BEV-focused offerings and vehicle delivery tracking including progress of the ship carrying a customer’s order from the factory to Australia.

Also built into the new system will be the ability to use augmented reality for choosing a model of home charger and where best to locate it on the property before arranging its installation and organising charging-friendly energy supply tariffs and public charging network deals, as well as viewing any BEV and solar incentives that can be applied.

The idea is, as the Australian BEV market transitions from early adopters to mainstream, to help address any apprehension potential BEV buyers may have about switching away from their internal combustion engine model.

Volkswagen Australia general manager of marketing and product Ralph Beckmann said the company was also overhauling the purchase process from the very first typical customer-facing point – the website – with the roll out next year of the Seamless ID Web Buying Experience.

“In the usual configurator environment the customer can select the grade, the colours and available options, and then in one seamless experience we are bolting on the offer of finance, for service capped plans and accessory caps; probably what you’d expect from a brand.” 

While Mr Beckman said that the change was not ground-braking, he believed that it would provide better coverage for the upcoming battery-electric range.

“This will not set the world on fire, but this is where we take a step back;  we want to make sure we go in with a strong proposition, strong partners that help us fulfil our promise of a worry free transition.”

Mr Beckman said that with the arrival of Volkswagen’s range of ID battery electric vehicles, so too would arrive a different type of BEV buyer. 

“The EV shift is now from early adoption into early mass market, and with this comes quite a different customer, a different needs stage … Who are more daunted by change from ICE to BEV. (We want them) to have real peace of mind all along.”

“In the same one-stop environment will be the option to select a charger for your home, the installation of that will be made exclusively to Volkswagen owners, the public charge benefits as well as exclusive rates for home energy plans and, additionally, financial incentives for any solar installations on top of any state-based incentives. We are in final negotiations with some Australia-based brands to help us along the way of this journey.”

The planned changes for the local Volkswagen website include the AR Wallbox Experience. For the battery-electric ID buyers, this will give them the chance to use augmented reality to estimate the location and size of the wallbox charger they want fitted at home, using their smartphone. They can see if the space they had in mind will be appropriate for a wall charger. They can also send a photo to ensure there are no delays when it comes time for installation.

New-vehicle tracking will also be improved as part of the website renovation. Mr Beckmann said the tracking process Volkswagen has used for some time has not been seamless, but there were changes afoot. 

“The shipping part has been somewhat difficult, as a result of that we’ve had to give some very conservative estimates, sometimes much longer than it actually takes for a customer to receive their car. “

“That’s been solved, and in an industry first we now have full integration with the Hoegh shipping company. We’re working on a similar integration with Walllenius, but 90 per cent of our shipping (to Australia) is with Hoegh. 

“A customer can at any point of time will be see where the vessel is, that is carrying your car to Australia, updated in real time hourly. This will be launched in quarter one, not just for ID cars exclusively but across the range”.

Other changes in the works include at least one public-facing charger at every Volkswagen dealership from next year, although the type of public charger and number at each location will vary.

“We will have the entire Volkswagen network ready to sell and service our whole BEV range in 2024 and in addition to infrastructure in the dealership, where we will have at least one public facing charge point effectively accelerating the public charge infrastructure in Australia as effectively a contribution from the brand.”