VW ID.3 Facelift: More quality promised, drastically increased price

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Volkswagen is revamping the ID.3 electric compact car - finally. The premiere is actually planned for March 2023. Today, the Wolfsburg-based company is only showing a few sketches. The configurator, however, has been switched to the revised model since the beginning of December, as far as prices are concerned. Matching pictures will not be available until spring 2023. Those who order now will get the facelifted ID.3, and the electric car will be delivered from the fourth quarter of the year 2023.

VW ID.3: Sharp price increase

The date is important because from September 1 there will no longer be a so-called environmental bonus for commercial customers. Only private customers can continue to receive up to 4500 euros from the state. Which brings us to the core of the change: The ID.3 was last available from 38,080 euros without including the subsidy. Now - with more equipment - it is at least 43,995 euros. Volkswagen is a long way from the once formulated vision of offering the ID.3 for just under 30,000 euros.

Software in the Volkswagen: On the road to recovery

Volkswagen has put more than half a million ID series electric cars based on the Modular Electrification Building Block (MEB) on the road. That is more than just a respectable success. However, the glaring deficiencies in the software and the poor choice of materials in the interior have led to plenty of criticism. The first ID.3s were particularly affected. To this day, not all vehicles from the early production series are fault-free. At least: The last test car based on the MEB at heise/Autos, an ID. Buzz (test), had no bugs. Only slower than the competition was the computing unit still.

Improved system performance of the VW ID 3 promised

For the revised ID.3, Volkswagen promises "improved system performance" of the software and the ability for over-the-air (OTA) updates. This is a feature that was theoretically also installed in the past. In practice, however, quite a few ID.3s had to go to the workshop for updates. The center display now has a diagonal of twelve inches in all versions.

Whether the ID.3 can now keep up with competitors like the Renault Megane, which convinces with the working speed and reliability of Android Automotiv, must be seen in practice. For example, it is unclear whether the "intelligent route planner", which now schedules charging stops and forecasts the charge level upon arrival, includes preconditioning of the traction battery. Only when the cells are well-tempered - i.e. heated or cooled, depending on the weather - can the optimum charging performance be achieved.

Higher quality material selection in the VW ID 3

We don't know how Volkswagen will specifically enhance the quality of the interior. The design, according to the press office, will "confirm the claim to value and sustainability," and it will be more adult. The company has listened to the needs of its customers. It will be interesting to see what follows. However, the so-called sliders - unlit wiper fields that are used, for example, to change the temperature of the automatic climate control - will remain. The touch/wipe control on the steering wheel is also installed as before for the time being. No change is expected until 2024. Because there is nothing new in the drive technology either, the term facelift is almost a bit bold.

After the temporary shortage of variants as a result of the semiconductor crisis, there is again the original selection from the Life, Business, Style and Max lines with 58 kWh energy content and as a 4-seater Tour with 77 kWh in the traction battery. The color palette, on the other hand, remains severely limited.

Extended standard equipment

Unlike the previous entry-level version for 38,080 euros, the Life has, among other things, the Discover Pro navigation system, adaptive cruise control and alloy wheels as standard. Perhaps a slimmed-down ID.3 will be added later. Apparently, there is no need for that at the moment. Which brings us back to the price: The VW ID.3 starts at 43,995 euros. We have often discussed the absurd prices for electric cars in the editorial office this year.

Volkswagen is by no means alone in this. A Kia Niro EV costs at least 47,590 euros, while a Renault Megane E-Tech EV60, which is roughly comparable with the ID.3, starts at 44,400 euros. Only the MG4 electric ("Comfort" including delivery, 64 kWh) breaks this price pattern at 36,989 euros. Those who can do without some range ("Standard", 51 kWh) will find the MG4 at 32,989 euros before incentives.

These are all Golf-class cars. Electric cars with advantages and disadvantages, as they are expected to replace models with internal combustion engines from 2035. There are several ways to interpret these highs: The auto industry is still profitable. Profits are high. Especially at Tesla, where more money is earned per electric car than anywhere else.

Reduced company car tax remains

Supply and demand determine the price, and that also applies to electric cars. Many customers want nothing else. A boom that is being massively subsidized in Germany. Direct subsidies through the so-called environmental bonus are being gradually scaled back. The decisive instrument remains the company car tax: Its assessment basis is reduced to a quarter for electric cars with a gross list price of less than 60,000 euros ("0.25 percent rule"). Here, the state is missing out on high revenues. What the market would actually look like would only become clear if this advantage no longer existed.

In the worst case, prices in the electric compact class are inherent to the system. So they remain high. The reason: The raw materials for traction batteries have become extremely expensive in some cases over the past two years. After ten years of radical decline, the cost per kilowatt hour of battery capacity is rising again. With the desired color and some additional equipment such as a trailer hitch, prospective buyers easily end up with 50,000 euros. Volkswagen, Renault and Kia have decoupled themselves from the purchasing power of normal earners. The auto industry won't mind - as long as this strategy works.

(mfz)