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Volkswagen ID.3 Pre-Orders Reach 20,000th Milestone, Many More To Come

The MEB vehicle architecture for EVs promises to revolutionize the Volkswagen Group by means of scale. Almost every brand with the notable exceptions of Bugatti, Lamborghini, Bentley, and Porsche will utilize it, and the ball got rolling with the ID.3 compact hatchback.
Volkswagen ID.3 12 photos
Photo: Volkswagen
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More than 20,000 pre-orders later, it appears that Volkswagen is onto something with the MEB despite the fact the ID.3 hasn’t reached its potential. The 1ST special edition is available to pre-order for the time being, promising the mid-range battery (58 kWh), 420 kilometers (261 miles) of WLTP range, and a lot of standard equipment for less than 40,000 euros.

Jürgen Stackmann, member of the board of management, couldn’t let this milestone pass. So he took to Twitter, claiming that the results are “already impressive given that pre-booking started one month ago.” Even more impressive, Volkswagen expected to reach 30,000 pre-orders for the ID.3 1ST by the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2019.

Coming with a 7.2-kWh charger or the optional 11-kW charger, the ID.3 is capable of 125-kW DC fast charging. The rear-mounted electric motor is rated at 150 kW, translating to 204 PS (201 horsepower) and a top speed of 180 km/h (112 miles) on the Autobahn. The entry-level model makes do with 45 kWh for the battery and 330 kilometers (205 miles) of range while the range-topping option boasts 77 kWh and 550 kilometers (342 miles).

First deliveries are due in mid-2020 for the European Union, and the target production output for the first year is 100,000 examples of the breed. The ID. family of models will be extended with crossovers, minivans, and even commercial vehicles, then Audi will level up with an electric hatchback with the footprint of the A3 Sportback.

The 10,000th milestone was achieved on May 9th, one day after the pre-orders went online. If Volkswagen keeps the momentum up while staying true to its People’s Car promise with the ID. family, this development could spell trouble for competitors such as Tesla.

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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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