The ID 3’s exterior has also been given a refresh, with a re-profiled front bumper, vertical air ducts and a reshaped bonnet combining to give the ID 3 an elongated appearance and slightly improved drag coefficient in the name of range.
The tail-light designs are all-new as well, including distinctive X-shaped daytime-running lights and refreshed scrolling indicators, and the whol car is still based on the MEB platform, therefore it retains the same rear-mounted motor and batteries as before.
The update is aimed at increasing the appeal of the hatchback, which has accounted for a claimed 300,000 sales since the start of deliveries during the third quarter of 2020.
The problems that plagued the previous ID 3 – concerning usage of the safety features and touch-sensitive icons, in addition to charging issues and range discrepancies – are so significant that they are widely rumoured to have been the reason for Herbert Diess stepping down as Volkswagen CEO last year.
Software development delays led to early examples of the ID 3 using basic versions of the ID operating system, but this proved, according to company insiders, to be an “absolute disaster”.
Volkswagen has since been trying to rectify the wide ranging issues. As such, the updates were brought forward to just three-and-a-half years since the ID 3 was revealed at the last Frankfurt motor show.
