Victor Dalmau told "Emirates Today": The electric Volkswagen cars currently on the market in the UAE are not guaranteed

picture

Volkswagen Middle East has revealed that all of its electric products currently deployed in the UAE market (ID.3, ID.4, ID.5 and ID.6) are not suitable for the region, and therefore do not enjoy any guarantee from the company, noting that these cars have been Designed and produced in accordance with the Chinese market, not the UAE and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries.

This came in exclusive statements to "Emirates Today" from the CEO of Volkswagen Middle East, Victor Dalmau, to answer several questions from the public about these cars, which are very popular in car sales markets such as the "Al-Awir" market in Dubai, but they were not raised by the agents. officially accredited.

Here is the text of the conversation:

Speaking of quality, to what extent do you consider these models to be suitable for the UAE and GCC markets?

Not all Volkswagen electric models currently sold in the UAE are suitable for the UAE market or the GCC market.

As all Volkswagen electric products (ID.3, ID.4, ID.5 and ID.6), which are currently sold by unofficial importers in the UAE, are Chinese versions. As such, they have been designed and produced in compliance with The Chinese market, not the UAE and the GCC, so customers who buy these vehicles from dealers face three main consequences:

1. These vehicles may not meet all the legal requirements set by the UAE or GCC authorities.

2. These vehicles have not been tested or authorized for use by Volkswagen in the UAE and GCC countries.

Therefore, the brand cannot guarantee the proper functioning of the vehicle's functions.

3. Therefore, these products do not have any warranty from the manufacturer and maintenance services cannot be provided by official Volkswagen dealerships in the UAE and GCC countries.

We will explain to the buyers of these vehicles the above with some concrete examples:

• Volkswagen electric cars are powered by software that includes all vehicle functions such as infotainment and battery power management.

In the same way we do on our mobile phones, Volkswagen also constantly updates its software via the Internet.

Since the software for these vehicles is designed for the Chinese market, Volkswagen will not be able to complete the upgrade in the UAE.

The same is true when you buy a mobile phone and the manufacturer cannot update it: limitations quickly appear that limit functionality or, in some cases, lead to malfunctions.

• The climate of the UAE and the Gulf states is characterized by its high temperatures and extreme humidity.

Since these vehicles have not been tested or designed for the region, Volkswagen cannot guarantee the operation of functions such as battery capacity, warranty mileage, electric air conditioning, etc.

• Speaking of the UAE specifically, the law requires, among other things, that all new models have a safety feature called “electronic call” which enables the car to automatically notify the police and emergency services if you get into an accident and are unable to make the call.

As it is not possible for any car imported unofficially to make the electronic call because it is not compatible with the network in the UAE.

• Since our official dealers will not be able to provide services for these cars, we also will not guarantee that service to our customers will be provided by technicians who have received adequate training from Volkswagen, and accordingly the brand does not guarantee quality using original parts and repair tools that we have pledged to abide by.

Volkswagen makes unremitting efforts to ensure that our customers receive the best product and service experience.

And that's what we can't guarantee with unofficially imported electric vehicles.

In my personal opinion, it is very important for customers to be aware of these consequences before making a purchase decision, so that they can make the right decision and avoid surprises later.

A car is one of the most important purchases families make and any mistake can cost them a lot of emotional and financial damage.

It is one of the things that we are most concerned about. 

  Why do the official Volkswagen dealerships in the UAE refrain from selling these models?

What are the factors that prevent this?

As I explained earlier, these models have not been approved for release in the UAE market, which is why Volkswagen dealerships in the UAE have not offered or sold them.

Technically, the brand cannot guarantee the proper functioning of a vehicle that has been designed and built for an entirely different region.

For example, (ID.4) from the customer's point of view may look similar to a vehicle being sold in other regions, but technically it is completely different in its software, battery management, cooling system, etc.

     Why isn't Volkswagen Middle East recognizing these models in the UAE market yet?

Why not provide maintenance and warranty services for these models?

We cannot guarantee the proper functionality of these products, as they have not been tested or released for the region by Volkswagen.

When we officially launch a model, we test it and take full responsibility if something goes wrong, which does not apply to these cars.  

      Could these cars have any technical problems in the future?

We don't know and that explains our concern about this issue.

However, we know that these models, including their software and updates, were not designed for this region, so we cannot guarantee their proper functionality. 

       Does the buyer from the UAE market obtain support from the authorized agent in the event of technical defects in these models?

No, unfortunately the image is incorrectly communicated to customers.

Only Volkswagen models released for this region receive support from our authorized dealers.

Does the parent company give a warranty on the battery to buyers from the UAE?

Some sellers may tell their customers that there is a 10-year warranty on the battery if the company is emailed.

no.

To further clarify this issue, gray market vehicles in our area do not get any international warranty from the manufacturer due to the unofficial way of obtaining them.

Any warranty that dealers provide to customers is a local warranty, and does not cover Volkswagen or its authorized dealers.

     When will these models be launched in the region, and what is the date of their official launch in the UAE market?

We haven't revealed an exact release date yet, but we will announce it soon.

- In the event of an official launch in the UAE market, what is the expected price for these three models determined by the authorized dealer?

Official pricing will only be revealed when the official launch date is announced.