The electric hatchback is similar to the VW Golf but will have a starting price under €30,000. The company is starting with the ID.3 1ST, a special edition version that will come with a 58 kWh-battery pack with a range of up to 420 kkilometres or about 260 miles, and come with three equipment variants. The ID.3 1ST will start under €40,000.
The ID.3 1ST will have a fast charging capability that will allow it to add 180 miles to its battery in 30 minutes, a longer range than had previously been possible in the compact vehicle segment, VW said.
Buyers of the special edition will be offered free charging for one year up to 2,000 kWh. This free charging deal only applies to stations linked to WeCharge, which includes the Ionity network of more than 100,000 charging points throughout Europe.
Volkswagen, which owns a stake in the joint venture Ionity, aims by 2020 to install along main European routes 400 ultra-fast charging stations that use renewable energy.
All 30,000 special edition ID.3 vehicles have been reserved. The first ID.3 vehicles will be delivered to customers in Germany in spring 2020.
The series production version of the ID.3 will have two additional battery options, including a 45 kWh-pack that has a range of 205 miles and a 77 kWh-pack that can travel 341 miles on a single charge, in accordance with WLTP. The WLTP, or Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure, is the European standard to measure energy consumption and emissions, and tends to be more generous than the US EPA estimates.
The ID.3 will come with an advanced driver assistance system-supported multifunction camera mounted on the windshield. This camera will be able to identify road signs.
The ADAS will include an emergency braking system, pedestrian monitoring, multi-collision brake feature, lane-keeping, and lane change systems, and parking assist that uses a rearview camera. There also will be a keyless access system featuring illuminated door handles.
A park distance control feature is designed to prevent impending collisions or to reduce the severity of collisions by triggering an emergency braking maneuver at the latest possible point.
Inside the ID.3, customers will find a 10-inch touch display — a feature called ID. Light will display an LED strip during navigation that can signal drivers to take actions, such as prompting them to brake.
VW is offering an optional augmented reality head-up display that will project relevant information directly onto the windshield. All controls are operated using touch functions featuring touch-sensitive buttons. Only the electric windows and hazard warning lights are still performed using tactile switches, the company said.
The ID.3 comes equipped with intelligent natural voice control. Drivers or front passengers can speak to the ID.3, simply by saying “hello ID.” Visually, ID. Light signals to whom the ID.3 is currently responding.
The ID.3, along with others that will join its eventual portfolio of more than 20 full-electric models are built on VW’s flexible MEB platform.
