Earlier this week, Volkswagen confirmed that the first member of its ID family of electric cars as the ID.3 and started accepting orders for the Golf-sized hatch in Europe.
It will make its world debut in September at the 2019 Frankfurt International Motor Show, with deliveries to follow in mid-2020. Pricing is yet to be locked in but VW is targeting a base price in its home market of Germany of under 30,000 euros (approximately $33,600).
VW will offer the ID.3 with a trio of battery options with the range on a single charge starting close to 330 km and topping out above 550 km. The batteries are thought to come in 45-, 58- and 77-kilowatt-hour capacities. A single electric motor is expected to power the rear axle but some ID variants may offer all-wheel drive via an electric motor at each axle, which the car’s MEB platform is capable of.
“With the ID 3, we are starting from the center, the Volkswagen brand’s core, in which the majority of the models and sales volume can be found,” VW sales chief Jürgen Stackmann explained. “The number 3 also signals expandability into the segments above and below it; we have a lot in the pipeline.”
The ID.3 hatchback was in South Africa earlier this year conducting testing but it’s not yet clear if or when it will arrive in South Africa. We will keep you updated as soon as more information becomes available.
