After some delay, Volkswagen has finally revealed their upcoming electric car, the ID.3. The Volkswagen ID.3 is an electric hatchback and will be Volkswagen’s entry into the new age electric vehicle market.
Volkswagen has dubbed their electric vehicle series the ID series hence the name ID.3. This naming scheme will become common as Volkswagen has plans to produce a significant amount of electric vehicles in the next few years. Their ambitious goals have them selling 22 million electric vehicles in the next decade. The company claims that the initials ID stands for intelligent design, identity and visionary technologies. The “3” in ID.3 is also meaningful in a way.
The number 3 is significant in two ways. On the one hand, it indicates the ID. as belonging to the compact segment, which is the class distinction in both internal and industry-wide classification systems. On the other, the ID.3 follows the Beetle and the Golf to introduce the third major chapter of strategic importance for the history of the brand.
The VW ID.3 is the first of the family and is available for preorder today in Europe. This is the first car this legacy automaker has ever offered preorders on. Preorders and deposits has become the norm after Tesla popularized it a few years back with the announcement of the Tesla Model 3.
Volkswagen claims to have taken 10,000 deposits in just 24 hours, exceeding expectations. Volkswagen has created a special launch edition dubbed the ID.3 1ST. This special edition vehicle will be limited to just 30,000 units. The ID.3 1ST has their mid-ranged battery with a range of 420 km (WLTP) or 261 miles and starts at under €40,000 ($44,880). You can preorder online with just a €1,000 deposit. Currently, this is limited to just 29 European markets.
The ID.3 1st will come in four colors and three options. Being a launch edition, the base model will still include comprehensive convenience features such as voice control and a navigation system. The 2nd tier, the Plus, will include additional IQ Light and bi-color exterior and interior design. The Max will be the top tier with a large panoramic glass roof and an augmented reality head-up display.
Those who preorder an ID.3 1ST will also receive one free year of charging limited to a maximum of 2,000 kWh. Volkswagen has no stand-alone proprietary charging network like Tesla but they created Electrify America and have investments in other networks such as IONITY. Any charging network Volkswagen participates in will qualify for the free charging.
After launch of the 1st edition, the Volkswagen will launch the base ID.3 which will have a range of 330 km (WLTP) or 205 miles and starts at under €30,000 ($33,655). The company’s long-range battery will offer 550 km (WLTP) or 342 miles of range.
This electric car has not yet been officially unveiled. We will have to wait until the IAA International Motor Show in September to know more and see exactly what the ID.3 will look like in terms of design.
Production of the VW ID.3 1ST is set to begin at the end of 2019 and the first electric vehicles will be delivered to customers in mid-2020. Volkswagen expects to sell upwards of 100,000 ID.3s per year.
While the Beetle once mobilized the masses, and the Golf as the class leader featured great innovations in each generation, the ID. will make e-mobility accessible to a broad spectrum of customers.
