Good result of the Volkswagen ID.3 after its first year on the European market: "The electric car is an absolute success. It attracts customers and has exploded from scratch to occupy the top positions in new registrations in many countries", says Klaus Zellmer, Head of Sales, Marketing and After Sales of the Volkswagen Executive Committee. According to a survey commissioned by the company, the Volkswagen ID.3 had 144,000 orders in Europe until September. Half of them came from purchasers who had never driven a Volkswagen before and were unfamiliar with the brand. "With the ID.3, we have reached an above-average group of new buyers for Volkswagen. The nearly 70,000 unique customers that we have obtained with the ID.

On average, the proportion of new customers that Volkswagen has achieved with other brand models is around 36%. In the first half of 2021, strong demand for the ID.3 and other ID. made Volkswagen the market leader for electric vehicles in Europe quickly. 

The Volkswagen ID.3 was the most popular electric car in many markets, including Germany, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Austria, and Switzerland. Based on the new registrations, the ID.3 also led the European market in August. To meet the strong demand, about 1,200 electric cars roll off the production lines in Zwickau and Dresden each day, with three shifts on both production lines.

For almost 80% of German customers of this model, the ID.3 is the main vehicle in their home. "This shows that the vehicle is very suitable for everyday use," says Silke Bagschik, Director of Sales and Marketing for the ID family. For most users, charging their vehicles at home is already completely carbon neutral. Around 70% solely use green power, either from their solar system or their electrical source and increasingly through Volkswagen's new Naturstrom Connect. As ID.3 production in Zwickau and Dresden is also CO2 neutral, "we have taken a big step towards achieving our carbon-neutral mobility target," according to Silke Bagschik. 

Thus, the Volkswagen ID family. It contributes significantly to the success of the "Way to Zero" roadmap, at the center of which is the brand's ACCELERATE strategy, the main objective of which is precisely to accelerate the pace of the electric offensive. The goal is the total electrification of the new fleet of vehicles. By 2030, at least 70% of all Volkswagen sales in Europe will be fully electric vehicles, well over a million cars. In North America and China, the share of EVs in sales should be at least 50%. Furthermore, Volkswagen will launch at least one new electric car every year. 

"The full availability of our Over-The-Air (OTA) updates underlines Volkswagen's innovative capabilities and forms the basis of a completely new digital customer experience," says Volkswagen CEO Ralf Brandstätter. "At the same time, we are laying the foundation for new digital business models and reaching a key milestone in our ACCELERATE strategy." 

In the future, the company plans to offer its customers free software updates every twelve weeks or so to keep vehicles up-to-date and improve the customer experience. Volkswagen also aims to generate higher revenues during the use phase with new business models - based on data - for services and functions that the customer can request according to their needs. For example, it could be Travel Assist or improved battery performance for long trips, or even autonomous driving in the future. As a result, Volkswagen sees the potential to generate significant additional revenue in the coming years. 

Over-The-Air (OTA) updates are being developed in close collaboration with CARIAD, the Volkswagen Group software company. "The new updates are core functionality of the connected digital car. They will quickly become normal for our customers, just as they are for their smartphones," says Thomas Ulbrich, Head of Technical Development at the Volkswagen Executive Committee. "Software development is constant and fast. We work in short cycles, like a technology company, and we provide updates to our customers at equally short intervals." 

Volkswagen also wants to keep in touch with its customers after selling or renting the car to offer digital services. "Electric vehicles that always have the latest software on board can deliver the best digital customer experience and are therefore of the maximum importance to our future success," adds Ulbrich. "Thanks to regular updates, the electric car will not only keep up to date, but it will also be even better." 

The update optimizes the safety and comfort functions. 

Some of the new features affect the ID Light, a strip of light at the bottom of the windshield. It provides the driver with information that can serve as intuitive support for more energy-efficient driving and when driving with the adaptive cruise control system "Active Cruise Control" (ACC). The image processing of the multifunction camera has also been improved, allowing it to recognize motorcycles and other road users more quickly. The same is true when driving in the dark. If installed, the dynamic high beam control allows for even more precise headlight adjustment. The graphics on the central infotainment screen become more apparent, with more intuitive operation,

The digital customer experience is becoming a central point for all product and service development steps throughout the vehicle life cycle. Over-The-Air (OTA) upgrades lay the foundation for new business models and customer-centric product optimization as part of the ACCELERATE strategy.

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