The VolkswagenID.3 facelift promises an improved interior with vegan-friendly finishes when it launches next year.
Due to a global semiconductor shortage, the first deliveries of the revised ID.3 are not expected to be delivered to European customers until Q4 2023.
In September, Volkswagen Australia said the ID.3 would not be sold locally until the facelifted model is availablewhich means we will see electric shutters in Australian showrooms by 2024 at the earliest.
Volkswagen says it has “listened to customers and implemented many of their suggestions”, with the facelifted model “taking quality and design to the next level”.
At the front, the ID.3 benefits from a sportier-looking front bumper that eliminates the current car’s dotted array of holes.
The bonnet is also new and extends all the way to the base of the windshield, removing the unloved piece of black plastic that once sat there.
Interestingly, the headlight graphics look largely unchanged.
The changes at the rear are smaller and appear to be limited to the revised lighting graphics, as the taillights that extend into the rear doors are no longer just decorative, but now contain LED lights.
More significant changes have been made inside, with sketches showing the dashboard looking more polished with softer contact surfaces and a stitched leather-like finish.
The 12.0-inch touchscreen replaces the current car’s 10.0-inch display and is standard throughout the range. Below the larger screen is a row of capacitive buttons, now illuminated for night use.
If the sketches are anything to go by, the steering wheel spokes still have capacitive buttons, although a Prototype of Golf facelift there is a steering wheel integrated with traditional switches.
Volkswagen brand CEO Thomas Schäfer said the company is working hard to improve its infotainment system after customer complaints. New over-the-air software updates will fix problems with the operating system, but hardware changes will take longer to show up in cars.
Dual cup holders in the center console and removable floor in the trunk have also become standard on all models, while the ID.3’s leather-wrapped steering wheel has been replaced with leather without. animal.
Options include Migration Assist with Herd Data, a semi-autonomous driving mode that can keep the vehicle in the center of the lane while maintaining a safe distance from other vehicles and obeying speed limits.
There’s also Park Assist Plus with Memory Function, which is an automated parking mode that can be instructed on how to park in one’s garage or personal garage.
While all of these changes will likely enhance the ID.3 ownership experience, we’re not sure we agree with Volkswagen calling the car the “second-generation ID.3”.
Currently the ID.3 is manufactured at the Zwickau and Dresden plants in Germany, as well as Anting, China. When the upgrade goes into production, it will also be produced at the company’s plant in Wolfsburg, Germany.
