Official sketches outline changes to Volkswagen’s electric hatchback, planned for launch in Europe in March 2023, and in Australia in 2024.
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The facelifted 2024 Volkswagen ID.3 has been previewed ahead of its European arrival in March 2023 – and Australian launch due in 2024.
Coming two and half years into the ID.3’s life, the mid-life changes include a revised exterior, an upgraded interior with a larger infotainment display, the latest generation of Volkswagen’s software package and, following criticism of the quality of the original model, the adoption of more upmarket materials.
As reported previously by Drive, the ID.3 is planned to launch in Australia with the mid-life facelift, due sometime in 2024 – after the ID.4 and ID.5 arrive at the end of 2023.
“The design has matured, and we’ve upgraded the materials used in the interior”, says Imelda Labbé, Volkswagen Board Member for Sales, Marketing and After Sales.
Sketches released by Volkswagen reveal the facelifted ID.3 receives a new-look front bumper with new vertical air ducts on either side of a redesigned central air intake, as well as lightly-revised LED headlamp graphics.
The bonnet of Volkswagen’s first dedicated ID-branded electric model has also been reworked, with the black panel at the base of the windscreen replaced by a new colour-coded panel with greater contouring.
At the rear, the refreshed ID.3 adopts altered LED tail lamp graphics.
Inside, the existing ID.3’s 10-inch infotainment display makes way for a larger 12-inch unit. It is mounted within a restyled dashboard and now features illuminated controls within its base – a key omission from the current model, as admitted by VW’s passenger-car CEO last week.
The larger display is supported by the latest-generation of Volkswagen’s ID infotainment software that is claimed to provide improved response times and a more seamless user experience.
It also connects to an optional Travel Assist system, a package that includes adaptive cruise control, lane-following assist and emergency assist, optimised based on data collected by thousands of existing Volkswagen vehicles. The optional Park Assist Plus system also receives a new memory function.
Following criticism of the current ID.3’s interior quality, Volkswagen has also provided the facelifted model with what it describes as “higher quality materials”.
Together with changes to the appearance and interior of the ID.3, Volkswagen has confirmed production of the facelifted model will be extended beyond the existing manufacturing sites in Dresden and Zwickau to include the German car maker’s main Wolfsburg plant, all in Germany.
German customers will be able to order the facelifted Volkswagen ID.3 from 1 December 2022. An Australian launch is due in 2024.
