Volkswagen ID.3: Reinventing the People’s Car for the EV era

Volkswagen ID.3: Reinventing the People’s Car for the EV era

Launched in Europe in 2019 with Chinese market variants soon following in 2021, the Volkswagen ID.3 is the German manufacturer’s purpose-built electric vehicle take on the family hatchback segment. Successor to the electric powered derivative of Volkswagen’s iconic Golf nameplate, the ID.3 nevertheless still runs concurrently with the e-Golf in China. Manufactured by the “people’s car” brand through the SAIC-Volkswagen joint venture in the People’s Republic, the Chinese-built ID.3 has found popularity in Jordan, if not quite the same ubiquity as its ID.4 and ID.6 crossover sisters.

Lighter, quicker, and more maneuverable and rewarding to drive than its larger and more popular relations, the ID.3 captures the well-rounded everyman practicality of the Volkswagen Golf that it might eventually replace. Under its skin, the ID.3 however harks back to Volkswagen’s eponymous first and most famous model that was later known as the Beetle. Like the air-cooled icon of ruggedly uncomplicated motoring that was the original Beetle, the ID.3 rides on a rear-motor and rear drive platform, but sits higher than either Beetle or Golf, owing to its heavy and cumbersome battery pack situated under its floor.