Life sometimes requires – often – making choices. The automotive world had until then been satisfied with a sober evolution, moving from one product to another, with the evolutions of the moment. From the 1974 Golf 1 to the 2020 Golf 8, nothing has finally changed in substance, even if everything has changed in form.
But a few weeks before the arrival of this 8th generation of Golf above, Volkswagen will operate an incredible switchover and embark on a new universe, that of electro-mobility with the first child of a new family, the ID.3.
The Volkswagen ID.3, the first 100% electric model in this new family, will undoubtedly be (along with the Porsche Taycan) the star of the Frankfurt Motor Show, which will open its doors in around ten days : https://www.iaa.de/en/cars. In addition to the fully electric ID.3, the brand presents its new logo and brand design, the “New Volkswagen“. After the Beetle and Golf, ID.3 will open a new era for Volkswagen, electric, fully connected and carbon neutral. The strategic transformation with a reorientation of content and products, initiated nearly 4 years ago, is now visible with the brand’s new design.
The ID.3, a new compact sedan with a false appearance of a small MPV, will, according to the manufacturer, be as revolutionary an icon as the Beetle/Coccinelle of the post-war period and the 1974 Golf. Has VW’s communication let itself be carried away by the torrent of change, rushing down the slope on which many manufacturers slide over and over again, without taking the time to think about alternative solutions, pressed by the standards of CO2 emissions, by the outrageous fashion of the “all-electric” or even by the desire, for VW, to overcome the greatest crisis in its history : the dieselgate. In 2015, VW launched its major transformation plan called “Transform 2025”. The second phase of this plan is underway with its forthcoming implementation (2020) in the concessions….
So here we have seen some manufacturers, mainly German (VW, Audi, Mercedes), build new ranges for an essentially electric future. Different ranges in their shapes and technology from their thermal ranges. These manufacturers have even dedicated entire industrial sites to the production of these “new cars of the 2030s“, zero emission…
It must therefore be clearly understood that this double or nothing must be achieved, at the risk of ending up with meaningless factories on our hands…. However, is the European customer willing to pay from 30,000 to 40,000 euros (the range announced by Volkswagen for its ID.3) to acquire this “Modern day Golf” ? (first prize of a current Golf in France, below : 24 590 euros…)
ID.3 wants to follow in the footsteps of the Beetle and Golf to open the third major and strategic chapter in the brand’s history. As early as mid-May, Volkswagen opened pre-bookings for its ID.3 “first edition”, an exclusive edition with an enhanced equipment level and limited to only 30,000 vehicles. But this “first edition” will be invoiced at a rate close to 40,000 euros and priority will be given to the production of these 30,000 copies. Electricity for all ? If you want to….
From 2020 onwards, Volkswagen will launch the first models of its new ID family. : the compact sedan ID.3 but also the SUV. Thomas Ulbrich, member of the Volkswagen Brand Management Board, E-Mobility Division, said a few months ago that “as of 2020, we intend to sell 150,000 electric cars, including 100,000 just the ID.3 and ID. SUV. Accelerating the transition to e-mobility will help us to achieve the extremely ambitious CO2 targets that have been set in Europe, China and the USA.” By 2025, the volume of sales of ID. family cars is expected to reach one million units per year.
This figure may seem ambitious, but it must be seen in context, given that the various prospects point to a global share of Volkswagen of nearly 13 million vehicles by 2020.
In practical terms, ID.3 has three different battery sizes : a large battery (77 kWh), a medium battery (58 kWh) and a small battery (45 kWh). VW will offer you a range varying from 330 to 550 kilometers (according to WLTP) depending on your use. Thanks to its charging capacity, a range of approximately 290 kilometres can be recharged in just 30 minutes.
We will of course come back to this world premiere at the Frankfurt Motor Show and the answer to the question “Is ID.3 the third VW icon after the Beetle and Golf” can only be given in five years’ time. Its success will strengthen the foundations of VW’s new and bold strategy. If this fails, the very base of the VW unit could crack….
Klaus Bischoff has already mentioned the design of the ID range on our website: find it here : http://lignesauto.fr/?p=9652
