Affordable Volkswagen ID.3 Electric Car Unveiled
Volkswagen South Africa provided a lot of clarity at the 2019 Festival of Motoring regarding the importance of electric models to the future of VW in South Africa. That future is finally here after VW officially revealed their all-electric vehicle, the VW ID.3, at the Frankfurt Motor Show in Germany this week.
Volkswagen has emphasised the launch to be of equal significance to the launch of the Beetle and Golf. This makes sense because, like the Beetle and Golf, the ID3 is the beginning of an entirely new chapter for VW especially in the wake of the dieselgate incident.
“The ID.3 follows the Beetle and the Golf to introduce the third major chapter of strategic importance for the history of the Volkswagen brand. Back in mid-May, Volkswagen enjoyed a successful launch taking pre-bookings for the ID.3 1st Edition, an exclusive special edition boasting fantastic levels of equipment, limited to a run of just 30,000 vehicles.” says Volkswagen in one of their latest press releases.
The Volkswagen ID3 will be released in three variants. The entry level variant will feature a 45kWh battery pack that will enable a range of around 330km based on the WLTP standard. The mid-range option is powered by a 58kWh battery and will allow a range of 420km to be travelled before needing to be recharged. The high-end model will feature a 77kWh battery, with an impressive range of 550km.
We also know that the VW ID3 will be somewhat of an affordable option in terms of buying a fully electric vehicle. Volkswagen Germany has confirmed that they will be pricing the ID3 in their market from €30,000. Converted into Rands, this works out to just over R500,000. The only thing to question at this stage is whether our local infrastructure in terms of electric vehicle support will justify Volkswagen bringing the electric model to South Africa.
