e-Golf Sales in California

[JoulesThief]

Is anyone privy to e-Golf sales levels in California, since introduction? I've seen one blue one in the wild here in the SFV, on Balboa Blvd one day... that's it. Rare, rare, rare.

 

[HabemusQuattro]

They are like flies on stink in Northern California, but then EVs are exceptionally popular here. I don't know about total sales for the state but if I were to bet I would say California alone accounts for over 50% of total monthly e-Golf sales. Just a wild guess, though.

 

[miimura]

50%??? I would guess that California represents 75% of American e-Golf sales.

[edit] I just did a search on Cars dot com and 69% of the inventory is within 500 miles of San Francisco. That includes some of the Oregon dealers too though.

 

[JoulesThief]

:mrgreen: Well, I surprised myself last night, as I was running down to the AMtrak station in Chatsworth to check out the 2 level 2 chargers there, one of which has been broken for a long, long time.... and low and behold a white e-golf SEL made a left hand turn in front of me. I thought it was another golf, until the C shaped LED light on the bumper almost clipped me, going around me. The other dead giveaway was looking in my side view mirror after he'd passed me, and noting LED taillights on a golf.

So, that's only number 2, I will have to look harder for them around here, they really don't stand out at all, unless you know exactly what to look for.

 

[RonDawg]

I've seen a surprising number of them around SoCal, including someone who lives down the street from me. Mine was also one of two eGolfs at the Drive Electric event in Woodland Hills a few weeks back. But compared to the Leaf (not exactly a huge seller itself) they are quite rare. The low sales numbers are not helped by the fact that they are only sold in a handful states, though still more states than where you can buy say the Spark EV brand new.

The wheels of the SEL version are the biggest giveaway, but if someone changes the rims or got an LE (or upcoming SE) , they are almost indistinguishable from the gas or diesel version save for a few not so obvious details.

 

[JoulesThief]

I am rather surprised myself, that VW does not equip these with "SEL" badges on the trunk. A Passat TDI SEL is prices less than an e-golf SEL, and has way more features. For example, I'd expect with folks charging their cars in the garage over night, that a Home Link Garage Door opener would be a stock feature on an SEL , after all an SEL is supposed to be the SE LOADED version in the lineup.

 

[RonDawg]

These cars come from Germany (the original Wolfsburg plant in fact) and IIRC they don't use the "SEL" designation over there. Personally I prefer that they don't stick the trim level designation on the trunk lid the way Honda and Toyota and Nissan tend to. In Germany I think you can even specify a debadging option, based on the number of cars I've seen over there with no badging whatsoever other than the manufacturer's logo.

The lack of Homelink is a bit puzzling as my 2006 Audi A3 has it, but then again my Leaf SV (MSRP of $35k back then) doesn't either.