Volkswagen Begins Taking Pre-orders in Europe for the ID Electric Hatchback

author: Eric Walz   

The Volkswagen ID.3 electric car will enter production later this year.

German automaker Volkswagen AG is ready to take on Tesla in Europe with its first electric car. The automaker is now taking 1,000 euro deposits for its new fully-electric hatchback named the ID.3. The more affordable EV has the potential it be just as iconic as the Beetle was, according to Volkswagen.

Volkswagen said the ID.3 will have a starting price of less than 30,000 euros ($33,566) and will be the automaker's first volume production electric car. The ID will eventually be offered in three configurations. Depending on the size of the battery-pack, the ID.3 will have a range between 330 and up to 550 kilometers (200 to 341 miles) in accordance with WLTP. The ID.3 will be the first model built on Volkswagen's modular MEB EV platform. 

Reservations are open for consumers in 29 countries across Europe.

The ID.3 is one of twenty new electric models Volkswagen plans to release under the electric ID nameplate. The automaker has ambitious plans to sell more than 1 million electric cars by 2025, giving Tesla some serious competition for the Model 3 in Europe, which Tesla began delivering to customers for the first time in February.

"We are not playing," VW sales and marketing chief Juergen Stackmann said at an event in Berlin launching the reservation program. "This is the car to beat for the future, for all our competitors."

"With the ID.3, we will be ushering in the third major chapter of strategic importance in the history of our brand, following the Beetle and the Golf. With the ID.3, we are making the electric car fit for mass mobility. Initially, we will electrify Europe with the ID.3 and then other regions with further electric models in the ID. family which are to follow in the near future."

To celebrate the launch of the ID brand, VW is offering a special edition of the ID.3 equipped with the mid-size battery option. The special edition version is limited to 30,000 vehicles.

The limited edition model will cost less than 40,000 euros ($44,778) and includes a battery pack capable of powering the car for 420 kilometers (260 miles) between charges. The base version has a range of 330 kilometers (200 miles), while the top-of-the-line model can go as far as 550 km (341 miles) on a single charge.

Volkswagen is also offering ID.3 buyers free charging for the first year up to a maximum of 2,000 kWh at all public charging points connected to Volkswagen's EV charging smartphone app We Charge. Driver can also use and also using the IONITY rapid EV charging network throughout Europe, in which Volkswagen is participating.

Volkswagen is offering the ID.3 1st special edition in four color choices and three versions. All three versions will feature a comprehensive list of convenience features, including voice control and navigation system, light and bi-color exterior and interior design, augmented reality head-up display and panoramic sunroof.

In response to Volkswagen's announcement, Tesla sent an email to prospective German customers on Wednesday promoting the Model S and Model X as having the best range of any electric vehicle in series production.

Today's announcement from VW comes just as Tesla begins making deliveries of its mass-market Model 3 to European customers. However, the California-based automaker is facing growing competition overseas with upcoming electric models in the works from European automakers Audi, Mercedes Benz, Jaguar and BMW.

Volkswagen is slated to start production of the ID.3 later this year, with the first deliveries in 2020. The automaker is aiming to sell 100,000 ID.3 vehicles annually.

VW expects the most important markets for the electric hatchback will be Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, France, the UK and Austria.

Eric Walz

Originally hailing from New Jersey, Eric is a automotive & technology reporter covering the high-tech industry here in Silicon Valley. He has over 15 years of automotive experience and a bachelors degree in computer science. These skills, combined with technical writing and news reporting, allows him to fully understand and identify new and innovative technologies in the auto industry and beyond. He has worked at Uber on self-driving cars and as a technical writer, helping people to understand and work with technology.