Volkswagen will not start production of the ID.3 in Wolfsburg due to low demand

A report published last September echoed the German manufacturer’s restructuring plans affecting the first model of the ID. family to reach the market. At the time, it was claimed that Volkswagen planned to end production of the ID.3 at its German plant in Dresden. A move by the company that seemed to be related to the planned start of its production at Volkswagen’s main plant in Wolfsburg.

Six months later, many things have changed in the electric car sector, and the German manufacturer’s plans are now different.

According to a representative of Volkswagen, the company has completely ruled out the possibility of starting production in Wolfsburg as originally planned. The most recent plans of the German manufacturer involved starting ID.3 production at its main plant from next summer, but this is something that will ultimately not happen.

In the end, everything remains as it was

Zwickau will continue to be the plant from which most of the ID.3 units sold in Europe will come, as until now, and production of this electric model in the ID. family at Volkswagen’s Dresden plant will not be cancelled either. The reason for the company’s change of position seems to be none other than the low demand this model has been registering for months despite its recent facelift. In 2023, Volkswagen delivered a total of 140,800 units of the ID.3, a figure clearly below the company’s expectations.

At the beginning of 2023, Volkswagen presented the second generation of the ID.3, just over two years after the model’s market launch. Among the slight aesthetic changes to the exterior of this new generation, notable features include new front and rear light units, new aero alloy wheels, new trim details and new paint colours.

Inside, the changes and improvements were more limited but still existed. Volkswagen improved the haptic response of the steering wheel controls and the centre console, also using materials of apparently higher quality. On the other hand, the space available on the doors for resting the arms was enlarged, and animal leather was removed from the steering wheel and replaced with a vegan one.

All these improvements, however, do not seem to have served to noticeably boost ID.3 sales as the German manufacturer would have liked.