For Volkswagen, this vehicle is the symbol of a new era. ID.3 reflects the realignment of the Volkswagen brand, and is also the first model with the new Volkswagen logo. “ID.3 is a versatile product that is suitable for daily use. It is compact, offering the handling of a small car with the interior space of a mid-range vehicle. It combines exciting design with innovative technology and a significant range,” says Silke Bagschik, head of sales and marketing for the ID family.
This first model in the ID series is characterized by the driving dynamics that characterizes electric cars and total connectivity. Like all future ID models, ID.3 is based on the new modular platform (MEB).
A few weeks before the arrival of the 8th generation of Golf, Volkswagen operates an incredible switchover and embarked on a new universe, that of electro-mobility with the first child of a new family, the I.D. family presented this Monday evening in Frankfurt.
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. 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….
The interior is also revolutionary. The long wheelbase of the MEB platform, combined with very short overhangs, creates a spacious interior that VW maliciously calls the Open Space. The ID.3 with its five real seats would set new standards in the compact sedan category. What does the Golf 8, which is in the starting blocks, think ?
PRICE : Is the European customer willing to pay from 30,000 to 40,000 euros (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…. The first 30,000 copies were sold !
The first edition – ID.3 1st – has a battery of 58 kWh (420 km range). Its engine generates 150 kW and delivers a maximum torque of 310 Newton meters, which allows this ID.3 to reach a maximum speed of 160 km/h. The ID.3 1st is available at a price just under €40,000.
-The basic version of the ID.3 1st includes a navigation system, a DAB+ digital radio, seat and steering wheel heating, front armrests, a Mode 2 charging cable and 18-inch alloy wheels.
-ID.3 1st Plus also features a rearview camera system, ACC adaptive cruise control and the Kessy Advanced keyless entry and exit system. The ID.3 1st Plus interior also includes designer seats, a centre console with two USB-C sockets and ambient lighting. The tinted windows, the silver exterior Style Package, matrix LED headlights and 19-inch light-alloy wheels.
-The top-of-the-range version, the ID.3 1st Max, also includes a head-up display, the “Beats” sound system, a large sliding and tilting panoramic glass roof and 20-inch light-alloy wheels. This equipment is complemented by a lane maintenance system with emergency assistance, a lane change system, a telephone system with contactless high-voltage battery charging and “comfort” seats.
The instrumentation and numerical controls are completely redesigned and not from the VW organ bank. In addition to the display in the cockpit, a new 10-inch touch screen, positioned in the centre, provides the driver with all the important information.
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.
Finally, it should be noted that ID.3 is the first Volkswagen to receive the brand’s new logo, below.
