The supposed electric car for the people, the ID.3 from VW, will be given a makeover in spring 2023, which is primarily intended to ensure a high-quality interior. The interior, with its partly inferior materials, has so far been a point of criticism. However, the prices are already skyrocketing by around 6,000 euros.
In view of rising prices for manufacturers and energy suppliers, the e-car market is currently more uninteresting than ever before. Volkswagen is pushing the second generation of the ID.3 into this market, which is more of a facelift with an adapted body and a revised interior, which was previously a point of criticism for the compact Stromer. Concept sketches of what the vehicle will look like from the outside still have to be taken; the full unveiling is not scheduled for spring 2023.
The interior should be get better quality
In the current announcement, the company primarily reduces its statements to the changes that buyers can expect in the interior. “The new ID.3 confirms our claim to quality, design and sustainability. The design is becoming more mature, the materials in the interior are of higher quality,” said Imelda Labbé, Volkswagen Board Member for Sales, Marketing and After Sales. Numerous suggestions from customers have been taken up and implemented as product improvements and enrichment of the standard equipment.
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VW ID.3 (2023) (Image: VW)
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VW ID.3 (2023) (Image: VW)
More standard equipment planned
In the future, the standard equipment will include the larger 12 inch (30.5 cm) touch screen, which is located in the center of the dashboard. The manufacturer promises increased performance for the infotainment system and promises that this time OTA updates can be received right at the start of the car. The still current ID.3 of the first generation had to be updated manually several times in the workshop before an OTA function was finally available there as well. The standard equipment of the upcoming model should also include the removable luggage compartment floor and the center console with two cup holders. According to the current state of knowledge and after looking at the published sketches, a steering wheel without touch surfaces and an illuminated slider below the screen should not move into the vehicle until 2024.
Volkswagen is also addressing new functions for charging and the assistance systems of the ID.3. Plug & Charge and the intelligent e-route planner are intended to make charging and electric driving easier, but strictly speaking these features already exist in the ID. fleet. The same applies to the “Travel Assist with swarm data” and the “Park Assist Plus with memory function”, which ComputerBase was able to test in the ID.5.
Direct new model due to long delivery times
Although the presentation is only scheduled for spring 2023, all new orders for the ID.3 since December 1st have effectively been for the new variant, although the configurator still shows the old model. The background is that due to the high order backlog for a current order, delivery is expected from the fourth quarter of 2023. It follows that, according to the current plans, the ID.3 is already being produced in a further developed version at this point in time. In order to meet the high demand, production will also take place at the Wolfsburg plant in addition to Zwickau and Dresden from 2023.
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VW ID.3 (2023) (Image: VW)
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VW ID.3 (2023) (image: VW)
Due to the delivery situation, Volkswagen also points out that at the time of delivery, the vehicle shown in the configurator or contract on the day of the order will no longer be delivered, but the already further developed model of the ID.3. Deviations in the scope of the order should always be in favor of the customer, with the exception of the following points: “The cover material of the ID. Leather steering wheels are replaced by a high-quality imitation leather. The WLTP fuel consumption and range information for the vehicles can deviate from the currently specified values by up to 2 percent due to the further development of the design described above.”
Base price climbs to 44,000 euros
Speaking of the configurator: the ID.3 has been available there since December 1st in the preconfigured equipment lines Life, Business, Style, Max and Tour Find. The starting price of the ID.3 Life is now 43,995 euros (incl. VAT and before any deduction of the environmental bonus) and is therefore around 6,000 euros higher than the previously advertised price. As Electrive notes, four of the five configurations use the smaller 58kWh battery and only the €56,500 Tour uses the 77kWh variant. In addition, the colors and selectable rims have been thinned out.