Orders are pouring in, but there is a shortage of batteries for the ID.Polo and Raval.

Orders are pouring in, but there is a shortage of batteries for the ID.Polo and Raval. As a result, the plant in Martorell, Spain, had to suspend production.

The battery cells are supplied by PowerCo, which at this stage is unable to meet the demand coming from Volkswagen Group’s factory. As a result, to the dismay of the unions, the assembly lines were shut down starting Friday, October 23. Three shifts on Line 1 were canceled until Monday, October 26. This decision came as a great surprise: initially, there were concerns about how the market would receive the smaller vehicles from VW’s group. But now the situation is reversed. Unions estimate that around 1,900 vehicles have not left the assembly lines due to these difficulties, further delaying the already lengthy delivery times for the ID.Polo and Raval. Launched in June, this assembly line is still going through its planned production ramp-up to reach full capacity. But it is already approaching 1,000 vehicles per month in output.

The day.

“Already 150,000 orders for this family of models”

The fact is that for the Raval, 51,000 orders have already been signed. Even higher numbers are expected for the ID. Polo, although the company confirmed 40,000 orders at the beginning of October. The Skoda Epiq and Volkswagen ID. Cross, the other two models based on the same platform, will instead be assembled at another Spanish plant. At the Paris Motor Show, Thomas Schäfer, head of VW’s brand, announced that these four models had already received “almost 150,000 orders.” There’s another aspect that makes the situation paradoxical. At this stage, these vehicles are part of the small group of most successful models in the group. This fact has two sides: one clearly positive, as Volkswagen is finally achieving significant sales figures in the electric vehicle segment, and another that raises concerns, given that profit margins on battery-powered cars are lower compared to conventional vehicles.

-Thermal shock-absorbing cars. And this comes at a time when Volkswagen is facing complex financial situations...