Volkswagen "confirms" the ID.3 SUV: 700 km of autonomy and faster charging?

We are starting to know a little more about the future Volkswagen ID.3 SUV, which will be based on an updated version of the MEB platform. This newcomer will be assembled at the Wolfsburg factory, which will undergo some changes soon.

It is in 2019 that the Volkswagen ID. 3 has emerged. Almost four years of career for the first representative of the family of electric cars ID of the German brand, which is about to afford a restyling next year. But the compact, now supported by the ID.4 and ID.5 as well as the new ID. Buzz, who is already very successful, does not intend to rest on his laurels.

A new release

If rumors were already rife about the arrival of a raised variant, it was finally confirmed last October, via a post published on LinkedIn by Thomas Schäfer, the brand’s new boss. He then claimed that this version would display dimensions similar to the ID.3, but would enjoy a totally different style.

So far, that’s all we know about him. But now a new press release published by the German brand brings us other interesting information. Without ever naming it, Volkswagen simply speaks of “a fully electric SUV”, which will then be produced from next year.

Volkswagen ID.3 (2023) // Source : Volkswagen

For his part, Thomas Schäfer explains that it “will perfectly complement the ID.4 and ID.5 offer, models in high demand“. This raised ID.3 will therefore be complementary to the models already present in the range and will therefore expand it. If we do not know for the moment anything on its technical sheet, this will be based on the new MEB + platform.

Because if the next version of the ID3 should have changed base to adopt the SSP, the development of this one finally fell behind. And Volkswagen has decided to review its copy and continue the adventure with the MEB, which required heavy investment and it is essential to make it profitable. As a reminder, it equips several models of the Volkswagen group, including the Skoda Enyaq iV, the Audi Q4 e-tron or the Cupra Born.

Up to 700 km range and faster charging

The electric SUV will therefore be based on the future MEB+ technical base, which will offer faster charging thanks to increased power, as well as increased autonomy, which could reach 700 kilometers. According to Volkswagen’s press release, cars equipped with it could collect a power ranging from 175 to 200 kW. But Volkswagen would remain on a 400 volt architecture and not 800 volts, so we should have recharging times of between 25 and 30 minutes.

On the battery side, we are already talking about a capacity of 90 to 111 kWh depending on the wheelbase of the car. But be careful, you shouldn’t find these large batteries on all cars, since you need enough space to accommodate all the cells. It would therefore be surprising if the ID.3 SUV offered 700 km of autonomy. It should rather be for the Volkswagen ID. Buzz in an elongated version, scheduled for the end of 2023.

Unless Volkswagen’s future electric SUV is actually some kind of ID.6, but not the version currently reserved for China. The German manufacturer indeed wants to replace the aging but very good thermal Tiguan. A template that would accommodate a huge battery with good autonomy.

But we will still have to wait before knowing the characteristics of the future ID.3 SUV. This will be manufactured alongside the standard version, on the assembly lines of the historic factory in Wolfsburg, in Germany. As the press release explains, a massive investment of 460 million euros will be made from 2025. This aims to better support the acceleration of production of the compact, as well as the SUV that will be derived from it. .

Volkswagen also takes this opportunity to remind you that the Trinity project, which will take the form of a 100% electric sedan based on the highly anticipated SSP platform, is still relevant, but postponed to 2030. For the time being, the decision concerning the site of production has not been recorded, but the brand retains the possibility of build a new factory in Warmenaunear Wolfsburg.

If the future Volkswagen ID.2 was initially to cost 20,000 euros, its price should eventually rise to 25,000 euros for several reasons. However, it should remain below the prices of the current Volkswagen e-UP.
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