Volkswagen has launched their electric city car, the ID.3, to the Chinese market at the Chengdu Motor Show. The ID.3, which is one of the best selling EVs in Europe, is the third EV from Wolfsburg to be offered in China, following the ID.4 and ID.6.
The ID.3, which was once thought to be a European-only offering, has been introduced at a crucial point for VW in China, as the German company looks to capitalize on a surge in sales.
Chinese ID. deliveries have doubled in the past three months from 1,500 units in May to some 3,000 in June and 5,800 in July. However, these figures are still some way behind Tesla, which sold 28,000 cars in China in June, and are expected to bounce back from a slow July showing.
Read: VW Sets Ambitious Task: Aims To Overtake Tesla As World’s Largest EV Maker By 2025
Meanwhile, according to InsideEVs, GM and Wuling’s Hong Guang MINI EV sold over 29,143 cars in June, with production volumes held back thanks to chip shortages. Could the ID.3 be VW’s small-car ticket to boosting sales figures?
The ID.3 comes as VW pushes forwards towards its electric offensive. As part of their Accelerate strategy, by 2030, Volkswagen intends to increase the share of its all-electric vehicle deliveries in Europe to over 70 percent. In North America and China, the brand is targeting an EV share of over 50 percent.
“With the ID.4 and ID.6 we have successfully launched two strong model series in recent months. Feedback from our customers is promising, delivery figures meet our expectations,” said Volkswagen China CEO Stephan Wöllenstein. “With the ID.3, we are now offering our customers a product in the important compact segment and, in combination with the other ID. models, are able to cover a large share of the market.”
