Photo: Stefan Baldauf / Guido ten Brink
The ID.3 is barely out of the oven, yet Volkswagen is looking forward far into the future of the compact hatchback with a rear-mounted electric motor. The ID.3 R could happen by 2024, featuring a dual-motor setup and quicker acceleration than the next generation of the Golf R.
Autocar.co.uk had a chat with Jurgen Stackmann, the sales boss of Volkswagen. According to him, the future for the R sub-brand “must be electric.” The final details are still under evaluation, but VW “should be able to deliver something meaningful in under five years.”
Research & development chief Frank Welsch agrees with this path and plan, but in the meantime, the Germans “have a lot of other work to do with other ID. models and the Golf, Tiguan, and so on.” Looking at the bigger picture, it’s important to get the next-gen Golf right and the Tiguan R to market as an alternative to the Cupra Ateca and other such crossovers.
When asked about the ID.3 R per se, Welsch said that the performance-oriented model “needs all-wheel drive and a performance e-motor. It won’t be called GTI, let’s see whether it’s R or something else.” Given that Tesla and Polestar performance models are getting increasingly popular, there’s no denying e-people will respond well to the ID.3 R.
2024 is far, though, and Volkswagen has to address a few issues before getting down to business. First things first, a mid-cycle refresh is in the pipeline by then. Secondly, there’s iffy plastic trim, a white steering wheel, and a weird drive selector which should be changed by then.
The ID.3 might cost under 30,000 euros in the most entry-level specification, but e-customers expect a bit of quality for that kind of money in this day and age. There’s also the Volkswagen badge that isn’t worthy of the said issues, and in hindsight, Volkswagen might’ve rushed the project to complete the ID.3 before the end of 2019 for the 2020 model year.
It’s also worth noting that VW partnered up with QuantumScape for solid-state batteries, a technology that’s targeted for commercial availability in 2024. It remains to be seen, however, if the ID.3 R will get a solid-state battery instead of the more typical lithium-ion type.
Research & development chief Frank Welsch agrees with this path and plan, but in the meantime, the Germans “have a lot of other work to do with other ID. models and the Golf, Tiguan, and so on.” Looking at the bigger picture, it’s important to get the next-gen Golf right and the Tiguan R to market as an alternative to the Cupra Ateca and other such crossovers.
When asked about the ID.3 R per se, Welsch said that the performance-oriented model “needs all-wheel drive and a performance e-motor. It won’t be called GTI, let’s see whether it’s R or something else.” Given that Tesla and Polestar performance models are getting increasingly popular, there’s no denying e-people will respond well to the ID.3 R.
2024 is far, though, and Volkswagen has to address a few issues before getting down to business. First things first, a mid-cycle refresh is in the pipeline by then. Secondly, there’s iffy plastic trim, a white steering wheel, and a weird drive selector which should be changed by then.
The ID.3 might cost under 30,000 euros in the most entry-level specification, but e-customers expect a bit of quality for that kind of money in this day and age. There’s also the Volkswagen badge that isn’t worthy of the said issues, and in hindsight, Volkswagen might’ve rushed the project to complete the ID.3 before the end of 2019 for the 2020 model year.
It’s also worth noting that VW partnered up with QuantumScape for solid-state batteries, a technology that’s targeted for commercial availability in 2024. It remains to be seen, however, if the ID.3 R will get a solid-state battery instead of the more typical lithium-ion type.
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