Volkswagen ID.3 Electric Car Spotted in New Zealand

We didn't expect to see the ID.3 there.

By: Eric Loveday

Jul 16, 2019 at 11:12am ET

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The Volkswagen ID.3 electric hatchback has been spotted in public once again. This time, the ID.3 turned up in the unexpected location fo Queensland, New Zealand.

According to the tweet, the ID.3 is being tested in New Zealand by "a few German blokes" whose faces have been concealed. Judging by the dirt on one of the cars, there's been some off-the-beaten-path travel involved.

The ID.3 is Volkswagen's first real attempt at a long-range, affordable electric car. Unfortunately, it's not U.S.-bound, which is disappointing.

The ID.3 offers a range of various battery packs and covers a broad price spectrum. We assume this will be the approach for future VW I.D. models too.

Here's everything we know in regards to the ID.3:

Volkswagen ID.3 market launch:

Launching the pre-booking of ID.3 1ST on May 8 (30,000 units)
Presentation of the ID.3 at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2019
Sales of the pre-booked cars will start after the auto show (orders to be taken by dealers)
Production of the ID.3 1ST is to start as planned at the end of 2019 in Zwickau, Germany
the first vehicles are to be delivered in mid-2020
Target production is claimed to be above 100,000 annually.

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Confirmed specs:

330 km (205 miles) of WLTP range (base 45 kWh version)
420 km (261 miles) of WLTP range (mid-range 58 kWh version)
550 km (342 miles) of WLTP range (top version 77 kWh)
guarantee that the batteries will retain at least 70% of their usable capacity after 8 years or 160,000 km (≈100,000 miles)
up to 125 kW DC fast charging capability
up to around 260 km/162 miles of additional range (WLTP) could be charged in 30 minutes
AC charging capability (on-board charger) of up to 11 kW

What else to expect:

150 kW electric motor
top speed of 180 km/h (112 miles)

The offer:

ID.3 1^ST special edition (30,000 vehicles), medium battery pack (58 kWh, 420 km / 261 miles of WLTP range), starting below €40,000 in Germany before the deduction of the subsidy, in four colors and three trim versions
ID.3 regular with medium battery pack
ID.3 regular with big battery pack
ID.3 regular with base battery pack starting below €30,000 (target) in Germany

* Registration deposit is €1,000, but could vary in other countries (£750 in the UK).