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Volkswagen website crashes following ID.4 launch

The small all-electric SUV was launched to much fanfare overseas, but there is still no indication of when – if ever – it will arrive in Australian showrooms.


The Volkswagen USA website went down for two hours overnight, as thousands of would-be customers attempted to preorder the new all-electric ID.4 SUV.

The manufacturer's American branch posted to Twitter at 1:48am (AEST) “Phew! We're flattered. Appreciate the interest in the ID4 - you guys broke our site! We're rebooting and will respond when we're back up.”

It was two hours before the company confirmed the domain was functioning again.

CarAdvice has contacted Volkswagen USA to find out how many people attempted to place orders – this story will be updated if more information becomes available.

Companies have been known in the past to artificially facilitate website crashes to create the impression of a consumer frenzy. While we don’t know what caused this particular outage, potential customers were clearly not impressed.

“I tried [to buy a car] when the site was down - now went back and can’t reserve a first edition anymore,” one commented.

“I hope the people who built your pre-order system aren't the same ones who wrote the car's software,” said another.

Above: the new Volkswagen ID.4 all-electric SUV

The entry-level variant of the ID.4 is powered by a single electric motor producing 150kW/309Nm. This draws power from a 77kWh lithium-ion battery, and has a WLTP-verified driving range of up to 520 kilometres.

There have been no publicly announced plans for an Australian launch, however the company’s local communications boss – Paul Pottinger – told CarAdvice the ID.4 would be an “ideal introduction for EVs in this fair land".

“We’ll have more to say on the ID front shortly," he added.

In the UK the car is priced from £44,000 plus on road costs (approximately AU$79,500).

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William Davis

William Davis has written for Drive since July 2020, covering news and current affairs in the automotive industry. He has maintained a primary focus on industry trends, autonomous technology, electric vehicle regulations, and local environmental policy. As the newest addition to the Drive team, William was brought onboard for his attention to detail, writing skills, and strong work ethic. Despite writing for a diverse range of outlets – including the Australian Financial Review, Robb Report, and Property Observer – since completing his media degree at Macquarie University, William has always had a passion for cars.

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