Volkswagen’s first dedicated electric vehicle, the ID.3 hatch, has been offered overseas since 2020. For Australia the compact EV still has a chance of appearing subject to a business case that makes sense.
Volkswagen Australia has not ruled out the ID.3 hatch range for Australia, despite the new model having first gone on sale in 2020 in international markets, and having already received a mid-life update in 2023.
When asked about the ID.3’s chances for an Australian introduction, Head of Product for Volkswagen passenger vehicles in Australia, Arjun Nidigallu indicated that ID.3 still has a place in Volkswagen’s future Australian line-up.
“We have plan … to have more ID products in our country,” Nidigallu said. “We do have plans for that, but it’s all about the timing and making sure that a business case makes sense for us and more importantly for the customer as well.”
Volkswagen Australia’s electric vehicle range currently includes the ID. Buzz people mover and van range, launched here in 2024 after an international debut in mid-2022.
The ID.4 and ID.5 medium SUV range is about to switch from pre-sale to regular availability in Australia from July 2025, despite launching overseas in 2020 for the ID.4 and 2021 for the ID.5.
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When asked if there was a point in the ID.3’s lifecycle that the model would be considered too old for an Australian introduction, Piergiorgio Minto, Brand Director for Volkswagen passenger vehicles responded: “Not really.
“Because the car in itself, as all the others [in VW’s line-up], they are going through, I mean, some facelifts and maybe major changes, once in a while. It doesn’t need to be that ID.3 that we see right now, that could be also [an] ID.3 that we see tomorrow.
“We are continuously evaluating, as Arjun said.”
The ID.3 uses the same dedicated electric platform as ID.4, ID.5, and ID. Buzz, potentially easing the costs associated with introducing the small hatch.
However, it also faces sharp competition from Chinese electric hatchbacks like the BYD Dolphin (from $29,990 plus on-road costs), GWM Ora (from $35,990) and MG 4 (from $37,990). Special offer pricing and limited run offers on those models often see pricing dip lower still.
It also shares the same underpinnings as the Cupra Born (from $59,990), with the ID.3’s positioning likely making it more affordable than its stylish Spanish cousin to take out the title of most affordable VW electric vehicle (EV) in Australia.
Typically, Volkswagen’s Golf small car has run five to six year production cycles, although the previous generation Golf ran for eight years before it was renewed.
As the first of VW’s MEB-based models the exact life cycle is yet to be seen, but with models like the Tiguan also pushing to eight-year production runs before replacement, the five year old ID.3 potentially still has another three years in production ahead of it before a major change.
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