Volkswagen has seemingly poured cold water on the ID.3 battery-electric hatch launching in Australia, and is now no longer confirming a timeframe for when it’s due.
While it hasn’t ruled out bringing the ID.3 entirely, Volkswagen is no longer looking at introducing it locally “beyond 2024”, which was the most recently confirmed timeframe.
When asked when the ID.3 could launch locally, Volkswagen Group Australia general manager corporate communications Paul Pottinger simply responded with “don’t know”.
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“When we were looking at ID. 3 and confirming ID.3, we thought the ID.4 price would be much higher,” said Volkswagen Group Australia product and PR communications manager Daniel DeGasperi.
It’s worth noting Volkswagen Australia hasn’t confirmed the pricing of the ID.4 just yet, even though it’s set to launch in March next year.
“The medium SUV segment is the segment you want to be in. Also with our group strategy, we have the Cupra Born in the small segment, so it wouldn’t make a lot of sense to have ID.3 positioned slightly below an ID.4,” added Mr DeGasperi.
“The case [of the ID.3] is evolving [and] circumstances are changing. You’ve always got to be aware,” said Mr Pottinger.
The Volkswagen ID.3 was first revealed back in production guise in 2019 as the first car on the MEB dedicated electric platform.
It received a mid-life facelift in 2023, at which time it was set to launch here in late 2024. This is now no longer the case.
The update brought revised exterior styling, more soft-touch surfaces in the interior, and a larger 12-inch touchscreen infotainment system, among other minor tweaks.
A more recent tweak also brought the IDA voice assistant with ChatGPT integration, along with a new Pro S trim level with more range, more power, and faster charging.
While it was initially expected the ID.3 and ID.4 would be Volkswagen’s first EVs offered in Australia, this title now goes to the ID. Buzz which just launched. Customer deliveries are set to commence late this year.
The launch of the aforementioned ID.4 SUV and related ID.5 coupe SUV has also been pushed back countless times, but is currently locked in for March 2025.
