Volkswagen senior management is close to signing off on the plans for a high-performance version of the German automaker’s ID.3 fully electric hatchback, Autocar reports, and the EV hot hatch is tipped to debut in 2024.
The ID.3 R will aim to cement the link between the ID fully electric vehicle range and the record-breaking ID R prototype, with development chief Frank Welsch saying that the ID.3 R is ‘something (Volkswagen) is looking at’. “I like the idea, but we have to decide if the market is ready to accept such a model,” Welsch said.
While the GTX badge is set to be affixed to Wolfsburg’s high-performance electric models, this won’t be used for the hot ID 3 as the former is intended for models with the twin-motor, all-wheel-drive powertrain, the automaker told Autocar. Where the dual-motor setup will feature in the larger ID.4, the first generation of the ID.3 will feature a rear-mounted motor with RWD only.
The ID.3 can accept four-wheel drive, although it’s unlikely to receive it during the first generation. There will not be a GTX variant, but we’re yet to decide on a rear-wheel-drive R variant,” Welsch said.
The Volkswagen ID.3 made its debut with 204 PS and 310 Nm of torque from its single, rear mounted electric motor driving the rear wheels in its most powerful guise. Dual-motor versions could produce 306 PS in total system output in the future versions mentioned earlier, as used in the ID.4.
Separately, Volkswagen R division chief Jost Capito recently told the magazine that the high-performance vehicles division has been working with the brand’s motorsport arm to determine what technology from the batteries in the ID R prototype could be applied to its road cars.
As for the standard ID.3, deliveries of the EV hatch are slated to commence in early September following prior reports of development and production concerns. Production of the ID.3 began in November 2019, though ongoing software issues meant that the ID.3 was ‘far from market ready’ according to a spokesperson in March.
The initial run of limited-edition First models will come to market without a number of software features, Autocar reported, and the omissions include augmented reality functions for the ID.3’s head-up display and selected App Connected features, such as for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, according to the report.
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