New Volkswagen ID.3 set to arrive in summer despite software delay fears

The first British buyers of the new Volkswagen ID.3 electric hatchback will still get their cars this summer, despite speculation that issues with the car’s software have caused a delay in the early manufacturing process.

The ID.3’s systems are more fully integrated and externally connected than those of any previous VW model. Rumours in German media have suggested that early cars rolling off the new production line in Zwickau have incomplete software, pushing deliveries back because the updates will need to be fitted retrospectively prior to the cars leaving the plant.

However, while VW admits that the ID.3s will indeed require a software ‘flash’ before handover, it insists that UK customers who’ve ordered the First Edition of the vehicle should still get their cars in the summer. In a statement, the company said: “The timeline for the ID.3 has not changed. Production of the First Edition began with a very flat start-up curve, rising steadily to market launch this summer. Our aim is to deliver 30,000 ID.3 First Editions simultaneously to customers in our pre-booking markets in Europe.

“The software is installed in the vehicles when they are produced in Zwickau - and will be updated to the latest version in the summer prior to customer handover.”

Auto Express understands that while some customers in left-hand-drive markets may be facing a delivery delay of a couple of months – from June until August – the slightly later position of right-hand-drive UK models in the early production process would have accounted for much of this period of time anyway. A simultaneous delivery of 30,000 cars in August would still leave UK buyers on track with their initial schedule.

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