The company says it has received pre-orders for more than half of the launch edition versions of its Renault Zoe rival.
Customers in 29 European countries have been able to pay a deposit to pre-book one of the 30,000 examples of the ID 3 First models, which will feature a WLTP-certified range of 261 miles and will be priced at less than €40,000 (£34,000) in Germany. Deliveries are due to begin in April 2020.
In early May, Volkswagen claimed to have received 15,000 pre-orders in a week, with the greatest demand in Germany, Norway, the Netherlands, the UK and Sweden. Each country has received an allocation of ID 3 models, although it is not known how many of those intended for the UK have been pre-ordered.
Initial problems with Volkswagen’s IT systems struggling to keep up with heavy traffic from users were shortly rectified.
The Golf-sized ID 3 will be officially launched at this year’s Frankfurt motor show, after which those who have pre-booked a First edition will be able to firm up their order. Orders for the general ID 3 production run will also start then.
The first production car to launch using the Volkswagen Group’s new MEB electric architecture, the ID 3 will be offered with three different battery sizes, and Volkswagen says the entry-level version will cost less than €30,000 (£25,500) in Germany.
Opinion: how the Volkswagen ID 3 got its name
Volkswagen says the ID 3’s name comes from the firm’s internal nomenclature for the compact A-segment, and the new model’s opening of the third major chapter in the brand’s history, after the Beetle and Golf. The title also “signals the potential for expansion” into bigger and smaller models in the future.
Volkswagen sales boss Jürgen Stackmann said that the start of ID pre-booking ushered in “the third major chapter of strategic importance in the history of our brand, following the Beetle and the Golf”. He added: “With the ID 3, we are making the electric car fit for mass mobility.”
Stackmann said that the ID 3 represented a “major milestone” for Volkswagen, adding: “The world is currently in a process of transformation. Volkswagen is not only part of, but is also shaping, this transformation.
“We are pursuing a focused powertrain strategy. Volkswagen has opted consistently for the battery-electric drive system. This is currently the most efficient technology for reducing CO2 emissions and meeting the ambitious CO2 reduction targets. E-mobility will become our lead technology.”
The ID range is understood to be planned to run from one to 10, with the numbers replacing the titles given to previously seen concepts: the ID Crozz SUV, Vizzion saloon, Buzz MPV and van and Roomzzz luxury SUV. Autocar has also revealed the firm is working on an entry-level ‘people’s car’.
Volkswagen says the ID 3 First edition will be priced at under €40,000 (£34,000) in Germany, with customers in the UK required to pay a £750 deposit. UK pricing details have yet to be confirmed, and the pre-booking will only be open for the 30,000 special editions, although those who secure a slot can cancel their order with a full refund. The UK is one of the “key” markets for the car, alongside Norway, Germany, the Netherlands and France.