[knash]

I’m wondering if VWAG have decided to put VW North America shipments on hold for the first quarter, focusing on Europe, as well as Audi, Skoda and Seat (plus their fast back variations) orders. I’m still hopeful we’ll see 2022 shipments from Zwickau, as Keogh’s statements about Chattanooga talk about shipping ‘local ID.4’ orders only prior to the 2023 model year starting in the Fall. I can’t think they would give up on Canada until VW US comes on stream - that would be foolhardy. You would definitely be looking at a 2023 model, and hopefully your wait would be shorter than mine. The things I’ve been reading about Hyundai and Kia orders aren’t encouraging either.

I’m going over to Hyundai Toronto to try the AWD IONIQ 5 hopefully in a day or 2. The dealership might be pulling my leg but they said orders will resume in March for delivery in the fall ie Sept Oct. not sure about the Kia EV6 delivery times. All the local VW dealers are saying 12-24 months. To me that’s saying we have no clue we don’t want your business. It’s makes no sense. I like the IONIQ 5, EV6 and ID4. If VW could get their act together I think I’d go for the ID4 simply because I’ve owned several Audis, the free charging, the rear wiper and the car’s design has a more conservative design that will probably age better. In fact, I’d probably go for the Q4 if it got the govt rebate. But as it stands, the mid level Q4 is 65k while the top ID4 AWD statement is 53k after rebate.

 

[Dcinbc]

Agreed on the ‘don’t have a clue bit’ - it’s a WAG at best. VW Canada isn’t saying a word which has me concerned. Overall I prefer the design of the VW, and the engineering of the internals in the link I posted the other day makes me feel the car is well designed in the main (deep breath on the infotainment - v3.0 is coming very soon). It’s also extremely roomy, comfortable, and the AWD more than powerful enough. I’m with you on how the Ioniq 5 design might age, and old enough to remember the excesses of early sixty’s cars with fins, which reminds me of all the gills and grills on current Audis, Mercs and BMWs. Just don’t get me started on Toyota, Lexus and Honda!

 

[knash]

Agreed on the ‘don’t have a clue bit’ - it’s a WAG at best. VW Canada isn’t saying a word which has me concerned. Overall I prefer the design of the VW, and the engineering of the internals in the link I posted the other day makes me feel the car is well designed in the main (deep breath on the infotainment - v3.0 is coming very soon). It’s also extremely roomy, comfortable, and the AWD more than powerful enough. I’m with you on how the Ioniq 5 design might age, and old enough to remember the excesses of early sixty’s cars with fins, which reminds me of all the gills and grills on current Audis, Mercs and BMWs. Just don’t get me started on Toyota, Lexus and Honda!

LOL I think we have similar tastes. I'm still waiting for any VW Toronto dealer to call me for a test drive.

 

[Dcinbc]

Oh dear!
Cargo Ship Full of Porsches and VWs Is On Fire and Adrift in the AtlanticCargo Ship Full of Porsches and VWs Is On Fire and Adrift in the Atlantic

 

[EV_Pro]

Oh dear!
Cargo Ship Full of Porsches and VWs Is On Fire and Adrift in the AtlanticCargo Ship Full of Porsches and VWs Is On Fire and Adrift in the Atlantic

No Canadian vehicles on board, as it was travelling directly to the States instead of stopping in Halifax first.

 

[YowVil]

No Canadian vehicles on board, as it was travelling directly to the States instead of stopping in Halifax first.

Still bad news for Canadians waiting for their cars to be built. Those burnt cars have to be replaced which will delay production for everyone.

 

[SexyBeast]

Just wanted to share some pics of my ID4!

I know many of you are patiently waiting for delivery. I’m not trying to brag, just sharing pics. I paid deposit on my AWD in April 2021, received in Jan 2022.

The vehicle is comfortable, smooth, quiet, powerful and a pleasure to drive. The RWD bias platform makes for a sporty & nimble ride. Best car I’ve owned. (Looking forward to some OTA software updates!)

I washed, applied clay bar, and then applied ceramic spray (SiO2). Included is a pic of materials used.

Here‘s some ID4 porn! Or should I say ID4orn?!

 

[crabnebula]

Great pictures. I also paid my deposit in April and just picked mine up last night. Very happy based on first impressions and looking forward to testing it more extensively.

 

[SACBC]

I just spoke to my dealer her on Vancouver Island. Finally I got what seemed to be real information out of him. As a summary there are parts issues. The pen sized piece connecting the heat pump to the engine was discovered faulty. 500 ID4s stuck in Halifax had this issue. The parts are in Halifax and three technicians are replacing the part at a combined rate of 17/day. The chip shortage continues. The dealer said VAG is going to increase production of Canadian bound ID4s in April and further ramp up production of Canadian orders in May. What confuses me is now that the required heat pump parts have been delivered to Halifax (and I expect Scandinavian countries), why have the parts not been delivered or made available for production at the plant. And why is Canadian production not slated to resume sooner than April?
My dealer has over 200 orders, of which 18 have been delivered, some are in Halifax (I didn't ask how many) and get this, one RWD, is in "bank" and moving through the plant. A further 13 (lucky for some) are "factory submitted" (of which one is my AWD statement). Mine while not "frozen to changes" at the one month out from production stage, is showing a "delayed-hold waiting for parts". I'm sure I missed some of the conversation but I hope this gives some indication of how our orders might be timed. BTW, in October, my vehicle had a proposed production date of November 26.
Perhaps some of you could substaiate this information with a call to your dealer. I'm going to play Rip Van Winkle for a month and see what happens. Cheers

 

[Dcinbc]

@knash One possibility for the 2022 models is a possible delay on the software update. They are building 1200 cars a day, so they could probably clear the Canadian backlog in less than a week if they needed to, even accounting for all the brands and body styles they build. Note the 1200/day seems to be despite chip shortages!
@SACBC Sad that you don’t have your 2021 yet, though. So does VW Victoria have an expected date for you, and what was your order date? I’ve heard nothing on my July 27th, and am thinking it will be close to the 1 year mark. As for the 1700+ US customers with ID.4s on the Felicity Ace, that has to be tough after waiting so long already. The US plant can’t start building cars soon enough.

 

[knash]

I just spoke to my dealer her on Vancouver Island. Finally I got what seemed to be real information out of him. As a summary there are parts issues. The pen sized piece connecting the heat pump to the engine was discovered faulty. 500 ID4s stuck in Halifax had this issue. The parts are in Halifax and three technicians are replacing the part at a combined rate of 17/day. The chip shortage continues. The dealer said VAG is going to increase production of Canadian bound ID4s in April and further ramp up production of Canadian orders in May. What confuses me is now that the required heat pump parts have been delivered to Halifax (and I expect Scandinavian countries), why have the parts not been delivered or made available for production at the plant. And why is Canadian production not slated to resume sooner than April?
My dealer has over 200 orders, of which 18 have been delivered, some are in Halifax (I didn't ask how many) and get this, one RWD, is in "bank" and moving through the plant. A further 13 (lucky for some) are "factory submitted" (of which one is my AWD statement). Mine while not "frozen to changes" at the one month out from production stage, is showing a "delayed-hold waiting for parts". I'm sure I missed some of the conversation but I hope this gives some indication of how our orders might be timed. BTW, in October, my vehicle had a proposed production date of November 26.
Perhaps some of you could substaiate this information with a call to your dealer. I'm going to play Rip Van Winkle for a month and see what happens. Cheers

this is great information. I wonder if this means the dealers are going to have a much clearer timeline for deliveries going forward. Telling people 12 to 24 months was just insanity.

@Dcinbc I'm a little baffled by the MY designations. It started as a 2021, which was odd because deliveries started after last fall which is the start of 2022s, then they effectively delayed deliveries and the next will be 2022s? And when do the 2023s start? I did see that the ID5 in Europe has the 3.0 software from the factory so I wonder when the North American cars will come with the 3.0 software. ie with OTA updates and the higher charging rates, longer range, and didn't they say vehicle to load capability will be enabled?

 

[Dcinbc]

this is great information. I wonder if this means the dealers are going to have a much clearer timeline for deliveries going forward. Telling people 12 to 24 months was just insanity.

@Dcinbc I'm a little baffled by the MY designations. It started as a 2021, which was odd because deliveries started after last fall which is the start of 2022s, then they effectively delayed deliveries and the next will be 2022s? And when do the 2023s start? I did see that the ID5 in Europe has the 3.0 software from the factory so I wonder when the North American cars will come with the 3.0 software. ie with OTA updates and the higher charging rates, longer range, and didn't they say vehicle to load capability will be enabled?

I believe the 2021 production began January-February 2021 in Zwickau. 2022 production began on or around New Years 2021. Scott Keogh, VWNA’s CEO has said that the 2023 model year will begin in September. I’m hopeful that Canada’s remaining orders will be slotted in beginning in March-April. The dealer said VW Canada hadn’t settled their quota for the year back in January but who knows? If the distributor does, they aren’t sharing with the dealers.
On the subject of software, I’ve read that there is a minor update to the hardware, and version 3.1 was already mentioned. Then Diess said something in his “Ask me anything” bit, which got me thinking there might be a bigger revision coming to address the functionalities promised. And one more thing - the NHTSA has finally put something together to allow for matrix LED lights, which are supposedly already legal in Canada. So maybe that will also be a part of a future software update for Statement vehicles. Check out Bjorn Nylands videos on ID.4 headlamps (and check out the Ioniq 5 by comparison).
@knash One more thing out of left field: Emden is supposed to go on stream building the ID.4 in the Spring, and Škoda in fact builds the Enyaq in the Czech Republic. All this to say that production capacity is ramping up very rapidly, but VW doesn’t go around talking about their latest gigafactory.

 

[VWforLife]

Apparently Chattanooga could come online sooner: VW ID.4 production in Chattanooga (USA) starts in mid-2022

 

[TheBeavBC]

After 10 months of anticipation, finally picking up my AWD Pro S Gradient next week in Burnaby.

 

[knash]

There are videos with the ID Buzz out now on YouTube. Autogefuhl. Bjorn. They mention 170kW charging, bidirectional capability, software 3.1 already working with newer travel assist with automatic lane change, faster operation, & faster voice recognition.

sorry, I know this is about the Buzz but I thought you guys would be interested in the software updates coming.

 

[SexyBeast]

Nice! I did see the faster voice operation and voice recognition in the software that the VW developer said comes with 3.1 software update. But I missed 170kw charging info. Will that also be 3.1 software update?

 

[knash]

Nice! I did see the faster voice operation and voice recognition in the software that the VW developer said comes with 3.1 software update. But I missed 170kw charging info. Will that also be 3.1 software update?

Thomas from Autogefuhl said 170kW charging & subsequently also mentions some hardware changes. (not sure how the hardware changes affect the charge rate) Buzz deliveries start in Sept. in Europe. I have heard they are changing battery suppliers in the 2023 models. So maybe the 3.1 software update will have different charging rates depending on the hardware? I think for sure 135kW for ID4s already produced but who knows if the 170kW will come to those as well. It sounds like the 3.1 will bring a lot of extra features. Plug n Charge will also be enabled. I wonder if the bidirectional feature will be possible for ID4s already delivered.

We went to see the ID4 AWD statement package yesterday. Lunar grey int. Very nice interior. That glass roof was a big hit with the kids. My eldest daughter who's 5'9 was amazed by the space in the back seats. My wife liked the design a lot more than the Ioniq 5 which kind of shocked me because she's an architect & I thought the design of the Hyundai would win her over. Now I wonder how she will react to the Kia EV 6.

 

[crabnebula]

The IONIQ 5 is stunning when you first see it, but it might not age as well. Cars, like buildings, should be as timeless as possible. ;-) The EV6 doesn't have a full glass roof, though its roof does open, and it is only in the GT line level 2 package, which I'm not sure will be eligible for rebates because the MSRP is above 60k. I hesitated between the ID.4 and EV6, but in the end I prefer the simplicity, design ethos and practicality of the ID.4.

 

[SexyBeast]

Thomas from Autogefuhl said 170kW charging & subsequently also mentions some hardware changes. Buzz deliveries start in Sept. I have heard they are changing battery suppliers in the 2023 models. So maybe the 3.1 software update will have different charging rates depending on the hardware. I think for sure 135kW for ID4s already produced but who knows if the 170kW will come to those as well. It sounds like the 3.1 will bring a lot of extra features. Plug n Charge will also be enabled. I wonder if the bidirectional feature will be possible for ID4s already delivered.

We went to see the ID4 AWD statement package yesterday. Lunar grey int. Very nice interior. That glass roof was a big hit with the kids. My eldest daughter who's 5'9 was amazed by the space in the back seats. My wife liked the design a lot more than the Ioniq 5 which kind of shocked me because she's an architect & I thought the design of the Hyundai would win her over. Now I wonder how she will react to the Kia EV 6.

Yes, my family also loves the space, huge pano roof, and LED interior lights in iD4.

IMO, iD4 is a much better family vehicle. If you were single, EV6 or IONIQ 5 or Tesla Model 3 would be fine.

For me, the only 2 minor flaws in iD4:
-the slider buttons aren't back-lit.
-there's a bit of space that's unused beneath the centre console at front.

I have no problem with the touch buttons many reviewers complain of. I would probably prefer real buttons, but the touch buttons on the steering wheel are fine with me, and the rear window button is a bit odd, but again, not a big deal for me. The infotainment user interface is a bit clunky at times, but that can be fixed with OTA software updates. I look forward to 3.1!

EDIT: Also, the CarNet app is a bit embarrassing. Compared to the Tesla app, CarNet feels like it's from 2015.

 

[Dcinbc]

“We will have a major OTA update for the ID.4 coming this summer, which will add features like Plug&Charge and Auto Hold, as well as a higher capacity onboard charge capability.” Herbert Diess: Reddit. I can only think this is something beyond v3.1 that they have in Europe.