FRANKFURT – Volkswagen will begin deliveries of the ID3 in Europe in September but the Golf-sized battery-powered hatchback will be initally sold without two key functions.
The App Connect function that gives access to online features will not be available, meaning drivers will initially have to do without functions such as Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and the use of the Volkswagen We digital store.
The first ID3s also will not have available at launch an augmented reality feature of its heads-up display, a key new innovation that available for the first time in a VW car.
Customers will have to return to their dealer for their free software update early next year, VW said in a news release on Wednesday.
Binding orders for the 30,000 models making up the limited First Edition ID3 priced can be placed from June 17 in most European countries, VW said.
Customers can choose to have their cars delivered in early September, then get a software update for the two digital functions at the beginning of next year. ID3 pre-bookers can also choose a second option with a delivery date in the fourth quarter. When the keys are handed over to the customer, this later version will be equipped with all functions, VW said.
Prices for the first edition of the ID3 start below 40,000 euros ($45,484) in Germany, making them eligible for government incentives. Three different versions are available, with the top version costing about 50,000 euros. A cheaper base version of the ID3, costing less than 30,000 euros, is also planned.
The ID3 is a key launch for VW as the first vehicle in its new generation of affordable, long-range electric cars. VW has converted its Zwickau factory in Germany to build the ID3 and upcoming compact-sized EVs based on its MEB architecture for its Audi and Seat brands.
The ID3's September delivery date narrowly meets an end-of-summer deadline VW had set itself to start deliveries of the car.
Starting a new model with an incomplete version is virtually unheard of for VW and reflects the internal pressure to get the car on the streets.
The software issues contributed to a clash that cost CEO Herbert Diess direct control of VW's namesake car brand, the group's largest division. Ralf Brandstaetter was handed operational oversight of the brand on Monday.
The ID3's success is vital for VW to meet stricter emissions rules in Europe and get the industry's largest push into electric vehicles off the ground.
Across the 12-brand group, VW plans to invest 33 billion euros ($37.5 billion) by 2024 in a push to become the world's largest electric-car maker, including 11 billion euros alone for the VW brand. The VW brand targets producing 1.5 million electric cars per year in 2025.
The ID3 is primarily aimed at European customers who like hatchbacks. The U.S. will get the ID4 crossover, which will also be sold in Europe and China. VW said on Wednesday that U.S. deliveries of the ID4 will start around spring of next year.
Bloomberg and Reuters contributed to this report