(May 9, 2019) WOLFSBURG, Germany — Months before its official world premiere at the Frankfurt International Motor Show in September, the next milestone has already been reached. Volkswagen is officially announcing the name of the first model of the new all-electric ID. family. It will be called ID.3. Volkswagen revealed several camouflaged pictures of what should be close to the actual production vehicle.

Volkswagen has started taking preorders in Europe for its first long-range electric car, and is sharing some details about how much it will cost and what it will be capable of.  It doesn’t look like VW currently has plans to launch the vehicle in the U.S., however, according to press reports.

VW will sell three versions of the all-electric hatchback. The cheapest will start at about $33,600 and will have about 185-mile range according to EPA standards from a single charge using a 45kWh battery. The car will also be sold in 58kWh and 77kWh configurations, which will get about 250 miles and 310 miles respectively. All models will be capable of 125kW DC fast charging. (Note — Using the European rating system the range will run between 205 and 342 miles).



It is the mid-level ID.3 that will go on sale first in Europe. Production is slated to begin at the end of this year. Deliveries start in Europe in mid-2020. Estimated price for that version will be around $44,750.

The number 3 is significant in two ways. On the one hand, it indicates the ID. as belonging to the compact segment, which is the class distinction in both internal and industry-wide classification systems. On the other, the ID.3 follows the Beetle and the Golf to introduce the third major chapter of strategic importance for the history of the brand.

“With the ID.3, we are starting from the center, the Volkswagen brand’s core, in which the majority of the models and sales volume can be found. The number 3 also signals expandability into the segments above and below it. We have a lot in the pipeline,” says Jürgen Stackmann, member of the Board of Management Volkswagen Brand for Sales, Marketing & After Sales, offering a preview of Volkswagen’s e-mobility campaign.

With this campaign, the brand is willing to become the number one brand globally by 2025, with more than 20 purely electrically driven models and more than a million vehicles sold annually, all of which being both networked and emission-free.

Every member of this model family will bear the name ID., which represents a new, independent series of products in the brand portfolio. While the Beetle once mobilized the masses, and the Golf as the class leader featured great innovations in each generation, the ID. will make e- mobility accessible to a broad spectrum of customers. The name ID. stands for intelligent design, identity and visionary technologies.

Following the launch of the ID.3, additional models will roll out, such as those previewed by the concept cars ID. CROZZ, ID. VIZZION and ID. ROOMZZ, and which will in the future also be named with model numbers.