VW ID.3: More premium with better software from 2023

Three years after its first presentation at the IAA in Frankfurt, the Volkswagen ID.3 is already receiving its first facelift. The Wolfsburg-based company is significantly refining the design and grandly speaking of the "new ID.3" and the second generation. To date, more than half a million ID. models based on the Modular Electric Drive Matrix (MEB) have been delivered worldwide. Currently, the ID.3 is rolling off the production line in Zwickau and Dresden, Germany. To meet the high demand from customers, the all-electric compact car will also be built at the main plant in Wolfsburg starting next year.

"The new ID.3 confirms our commitment to quality, design, and sustainability. The design is becoming more mature, and the materials inside are of higher quality," explained Imelda Labbé, Volkswagen's Board Member for Sales, Marketing, and After Sales.

Numerous suggestions from customers have been incorporated as product improvements and enhancements to the standard equipment. Especially in the critical area of software, Volkswagen intends to step up its game: The new version will be delivered with the latest software generation. This is expected to improve the previously somewhat lackluster system performance and continue to be capable of receiving over-the-air updates. Additionally, the standard equipment has been improved: A 12-inch (30.5 centimeters) display, the removable luggage compartment floor, and the center console featuring two cupholders are now standard.

More importantly, VW appears to be making a partial retreat from the much-criticized touch concept: According to VW brand chief Thomas Schäfer, real buttons will return to the steering wheel instead of swipe surfaces, and menus will be more clearly structured. Unfortunately, the unlit sliders for volume and temperature will remain for now. The necessary hardware will not be ready until 2024, making its debut in the ID.7 as well as the Passat and Tiguan in 2023 - ergonomically, the concept remains nonsensical.

Features like Plug & Charge and the intelligent e-route planner are intended to simplify charging, while the latest generation of assistance systems rounds out the package, although these are already available as options. These include "Travel Assist with swarm data" and "Park Assist Plus with memory function."

The interior of the ID.3 is significantly upgraded

Inside, the ID.3 is now treated to foam-injected plastics and new central air vents. The door panels are also becoming much higher quality and will henceforth be covered—depending on the trim level—with either fabric or microfiber material. The sketch also shows contrasting stitching on the door panels, which can also be found on the seat covers. Similar to the VW ID.Buzz, the steering wheel receives a new material for the rim, replacing genuine leather. This makes the interior completely animal-free.

But the ID.3 is also being modified on the outside: The new front hood appears longer because VW has done away with the black strip beneath the windshield, and it is visually extended through indentations. This makes the new metal part overall more stable and cheaper by eliminating the strip. Additionally, there are new badges on the front doors for the different variants (Pro, Pro S), and between the 18- and 20-inch wheels, VW is introducing 19-inch wheels. The silver strip above the side windows will now be standard and enhances the exterior look.

The C-pillar remains broad as on the Golf—the optional honeycomb structure stickers are eliminated. Similarly, the honeycomb structure on the front bumper is replaced with two vertical slits. At the rear, the middle section of the taillights, which are embedded in the tailgate, now also illuminates at night.

Three new colors complement the palette

And there will be more colors available again, after the palette was reduced to the current four shades: In addition to an entirely new Dark Olivian Green Metallic, blue and black will also return to the program.