Qatar to be first market in Mideast for Volkswagen’s electric SUV ID.4 launch

People in Qatar will be the first in the Middle-East to get behind the steering wheel of Volkswagen’s mid-sized electric SUV ‘ID.4’. German automotive giant said that Qatar will be the first market in the Middle East where ID.4 would be launched. 

“From Volkswagen’s range of EVs, what we call the ID family, the ID.4, our mid-sized SUV, will be the first one to arrive in the Middle East. Though the complete launch might still take a bit of time, we are excited to confirm that Qatar will be the first market in the Middle East where the ID.4 will be launched,” Victor Dalmau, Managing Director of Volkswagen Middle East told The Peninsula in an exclusive interview.

“This year, we will be providing a fleet of the ID.4 to a key Qatari government authority. We understand electric vehicles are an important part of Qatar’s achievement of its National Vision 2030 goals and we are keen to support in the Kingdom meeting these goals,” he added. 

The automaker will also play its role in creating supporting infrastructure needed for growth of electric vehicles in the country. It will install charging stations in Qatar for electric vehicles.

“We have joined efforts and are coordinating with our sister brands within the Volkswagen Group to provide a state of the art EV charging infrastructure in the country. For the first units of ID.4 to be launched this year, we will be installing some charging stations,” he said.  

“Setting up the required infrastructure for EV’s is an important factor to facilitate customer demand. Therefore, the Volkswagen Group has made a considerable investment in developing Qatar’s infrastructure with Audi’s announcement of its $1m investment in the charging infrastructure in the country.

Once the ID.4 is fully launched in Qatar, ensuring customers have a universal and seamless eco-system for charging their vehicles will be a key priority,” he added.   

Qatar is a key market for Volkswagen Group. Earlier this year in March, Volkswagen Group inaugurated its new regional headquarters at Msheireb Downtown. The inauguration marked a new business entity set up with the establishment of Volkswagen Group Middle-East QFZ LLC (VWGME).

This new regional headquarters is responsible for core business functions for the company in the region, including strategy, finance, human resources, information technology, procurement and legal operations. This new entity will lead and support the VW Group activities in all markets where the VW Group brands are active in the Middle-East.

The new regional headquarters and business entity symbolises the group’s commitment to Qatar and the region. With a presence of over 15 years, the company recognises the exceptional value it offers and plans to continue its growth together with local partners.

 16 total views