Volkswagen is working on a revamped version of the ID.3. The company calls it new ID.3 but really it’s a facelift for the electric hatch with comprehensive hardware and software upgrades. To secure production of the updated ID.3 – and not only – Volkswagen has just announced a major investment in its main factory in Wolfsburg.
By early 2025, the German automaker will invest around €460 million in the Wolfsburg plant, a figure currently equal to around $485 at today’s exchange rates. The facelifted ID.3 will start rolling off the assembly line in Wolfsburg from 2023 at what VW initially described as partial production. Manufacturing at full speed is expected to start next year and the ramp-up is planned for completion by the middle of this decade.
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In its official press release to the media, Volkswagen also mentions the new electric SUV. It will also be manufactured at the company’s Wolfsburg plant and will be based on the latest version of the MEB platform called MEB+. We don’t know much about it, but from VW’s words, we believe it will be positioned in the compact segment.
“It is the world’s largest vehicle segment, it is home to our popular Tiguan. These new models ideally complement our best-selling ID.4 and ID.5. This is how we expand our market position even further and provide our customers with the high quality vehicles they have come to expect from us,” said Volkswagen brand CEO Thomas Schäfer.
The aforementioned MEB+ architecture, Volkswagen promises, will offer faster charging speeds and greater range on a single charge. The battery cells that will be used in future e-SUVs and other models will be manufactured at the company’s Salzgitter plant. Soon we will have a separate article detailing the new MEB+ platform which should have a range of up to 435 miles.
Returning to the Wolfsburg investment, Volkswagen said it will ensure production of the Trinity vehicle, which will be based on the so-called Scalable Systems Platform (SSP). As a refresher, Volkswagen will delay the launch of the electric machine until the end of the decade due to software issues.
