Volkswagen has noticed that vehicles dedicated to the Chinese market have been imported as far as Europe. The risk for customers is that they simply cannot register their vehicle.
Good news for Volkswagen, the order books for the 100% electric range (ID.) are well filled. Bad news for buyers, delivery times can reach up to a year of waiting. Faced with this tense situation, unscrupulous dealers smelled the right plan. They propose to import cheaper vehicles produced in China and intended for the Chinese market into Europe, which does not please Volkswagen, which opposes this practice.
According to automobilwoche on January 19, 2023, Volkswagen sent a letter to its dealers to warn them not to participate in the distribution of these models imported from China, nor in their compliance. What is behind all this?
Volkswagen IDs. not homologated for Europe
Until now, new vehicles were mainly traded within the European Union. Manufacturers’ vehicles have significantly different configurations and prices depending on the country. This has always made it possible to obtain new vehicles, through automotive agents, from Spain or Poland, for example, cheaper than new vehicles ordered from French or German dealerships. This parallel market was never really appreciated by manufacturers, but they adapted to this practice, since the vehicles met the same standards.
Parallel market (or gray market) imports from China pose other problems, however. The Chinese Volkswagen ID.4s are not perfectly identical to the European versions: the hardware and software configurations are different. The ID.4s are also offered in two variants in China with two different manufacturers: one quite close to the European model produced by SAIC and a much more distant Crozz version assembled by FAW.
The Chinese models (ID.3, ID.4, ID.4 Crozz or ID.6) are in any case not approved for driving on European roads without several modifications:
- The e-call system, mandatory in Europe, is not identical to the function installed in China.
- The charging socket is also different in China compared to Europe
Without modifications upon their arrival in Europe, these vehicles from the parallel market cannot be registered. However, Volkswagen, in a letter addressed to the German dealerships, was clear: “ These vehicles cannot be bought or sold by you at a contracted Volkswagen branded store, nor can they be adapted to local market conditions with your help. Volkswagen AG would like to point out that any form of infringement may constitute behavior contrary to the contract and that Volkswagen AG will not tolerate such behavior. »
Beware of fake bargains online
It is difficult to know today what the extent of the phenomenon is. We do not know if this also already concerns France and through which distribution channel. The tricks no longer know borders, we recommend in all cases the greatest caution in the face of tempting offers found on the net.
A Volkswagen ID.4 SUV that would be sold new, outside the official network, and at a price lower than European prices, should alert you. The risk for the end customer is to come across an unscrupulous dealer, who will be unable to provide a valid registration certificate for your vehicle.
You could then end up with an electric vehicle paid for more than €40,000 and unfit for traffic. Recourse in this type of dispute is particularly complicated – even impossible – against the retailer, who is often based abroad. If the vehicle has been modified to be homologated, it will certainly not have a valid guarantee at the level of the European Volkswagen network, which could cause problems in the event of recall procedures or even maintenance over time. Beware of fake bargains!
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