Volkswagen will have already updated the ID.3 electric car before its anticipated 2025 launch in Australia, meaning local buyers will benefit from a raft of updates upon its debut.
Confirmed late last month, Volkswagen CEO Thomas Schafer revealed an overhaul for, but not limited to, the ID.3 range, that revolves around the company’s controversial multimedia system software and interfaces.
Expected later next year, the update should encompass a larger 12-inch multimedia control screen, along with Volkswagen’s latest software evolution, following complaints about lagging controls and poor functionality.
These will also be seen in the upcoming Tiguan redesign also due later in 2023, and will then be rolled out to the rest of the Volkswagen range as required.
Rolled out more than two years after its international launch, the ID.3 electric car will also undergo visual changes inside and out, as well as see a bump up in perceived quality, again following criticisms from some quarters.
According to VW board member for sales and marketing, Imelda Labbé, the upgrades are meant to restore consumer faith in the brand’s leadership.
“The new ID.3 demonstrates our commitment to quality, design and sustainability,” she said. “The design has matured, and we’ve upgraded the materials used in the interior.
“The needs of our customers are always front and centre for us. That’s why we listen carefully and focus on gearing our product portfolio to their requirements.”
The feedback from customers was addressed outright by Mr Schafer, who acknowledged the poor functionality of VW’s new systems, noting previously that even the touch-sensitive controls in places like the steering wheel would be reverted back to push-buttons for ease of use.
“We’ve got feedback from customers, we’ve feedback from clinics and from journalists. They say, ‘You know this is not good. You’ve got to improve this’,” he said.
“It’s not only the infotainment; you need to know what’s content and what’s user experience. It’s how do you know the touch and feel and the sliders and stuff around it.”
Exactly when Australian buyers will see the ID.3 remains up in the air.
For Australia, the Volkswagen ID.4 and ID.5 are set to show up first, with the ID.3 pencilled in to follow after, according to the brand’s local director of passenger cars, Michal Szaniecki.
Speaking to CarsGuide at the launch of the updated T-Roc in September, he revealed that the both EV SUVs have been brought forward to better suit the Australian market.
“Sadly, that means the on-sale date for ID.3 is still to be confirmed for Australia,” Mr Szaniecki said. “Now, we will be waiting for the facelift to arrive, which should happen around 2024. It’s looking likely that this car won’t arrive in Australia until 2025.
“We wanted (VW headquarters in Germany) to understand that it’s a much better choice to bring the ‘4’ and ‘5’ first, they are much more adequate for the Australian market.”
Finally, Mr Schafer confirmed that the Golf will remain part of the VW line-up even with the ID.3 and its EV siblings in market.
Speaking to Autocar in November, he said “the ID 3 has never been a successor to the Golf, it is more a Golf Plus”, and said there is room for both to exist.
“It would be crazy to let them die and slip away,” Mr Schafer explained. “We will stick with the ID [naming convention] logic but iconic models will carry a name.
“We would not let go of the Golf name, no way.”
This comes as VW Group CEO Oliver Blume commits to continuing investment into the current VW MEB (Modularer E-Antriebs Baukasten) modular transverse electric architecture, according to German outlet FAZ, instead of shifting to the new SSP (Scaleable Systems Platform) setup as initiated by his predecessor Herbert Diess.
This could see the implementation of SSP pushed back until 2028 at the earliest.
Keyword: Volkswagen ID.3 coming to Australia with updates, won't replace Golf