Volkswagen has announced that it is set to unveil an updated version of its ID.3 electric hatchback in the spring of 2023.
Ahead of the unveiling of the facelifted model, VW has said that it has listened to a range of customer suggestions in upgrading the ID.3. Judging by the teaser sketches of the ID.3's exterior, not a lot appears to have changed on the outside, but the company says that it has made a few changes to the interior, the biggest being the elimination of animal-based materials such as leather in favour of synthetic substitutes.
"The new ID.3 demonstrates our commitment to quality, design and sustainability," said VW's Imelda Labbé.
"The design has matured, and we've upgraded the materials used in the interior. The needs of our customers are always front and centre for us. That's why we listen carefully and focus on gearing our product portfolio to their requirements," she said.
New equipment
In addition to the changes to the interior materials, the ID.3 will receive a 12.0-inch central infotainment touchscreen as standard in all models as well as a removable floor in the boot.
Other functions include Plug & Charge (a system that allows users to plug their car into a public charging station and let the car handle the payment - though that won't work in Ireland yet) and the Electric Vehicle Route Planner that offers guidance on the most efficient routing via the public chargers en route. Travel Assist with swarm data (optionally) provides information on traffic congestion using information gleaned from nearby vehicles sent back to the cloud and then relayed onward to suitably-equipped vehicles.
To date, Volkswagen has sold around half a million ID. cars including the ID.4, Ireland's best-selling electric vehicle. Such has been the demand that the company has announced that as well as manufacturing the ID.3 at its Zwickau and Dresden plants in eastern Germany as it does currently, it will also begin building the model at its home plant in Wolfsburg.
Irish orders
Orders for the facelifted ID.3 opened on December 1 in Germany, but, at the time of writing, the ID.3 is not currently shown on Volkswagen's Irish website, indicating that the new model will be available to order here soon, though there's no indication how pricing will compare with the previous version.
Interestingly, VW notes that, due to the production backlog related to the global semiconductor shortage and the war in Ukraine, customers who recently ordered previous versions of the ID.3 may not see their cars delivered until the fourth quarter of 2023 by which time production of the updated ID.3 will likely have begun.
This means customers may receive the newer version of the ID.3, which may differ in its spec to the car configured and ordered by the customer. Any differences, said Volkswagen, would be to the customer's benefit, with one exception: whereas the steering wheel of the old ID.3 was trimmed in leather, it'll now be clad in a leather substitute.