The all-electric Volkswagen ID.3 hatchback, which is currently the smallest model in the ID lineup, racked up over 10,000 orders in China after the SAIC-VW joint venture slashed the starting price of the battery-powered car last month for a limited period, according to the company.
In June, the German carmaker’s Chinese arm offered the four-door EV with a “historically low” starting price of ¥125,900 (roughly $17,500), which was about half of the MSRP in Europe, to better compete with local brands like BYD after losing market share in the face of increasing competition.
Now, it looks like VW’s decision has paid dividends, considering it sold just 2,556 ID.3s in May, according to CarNewsChina. However, in the face of its biggest competitor – BYD – the German automaker is still very much behind in terms of sales.
In May, the local brand sold 29,081 units of its Dolphin all-electric hatchback, which has a starting price of ¥116,800 (roughly $16,000), and 26,072 units of the Yuan Plus (also known as the Atto 3 in other markets) crossover, which starts at ¥134,000 ($18,500).
During the same month, Volkswagen recorded a market share of 2.9 percent in China after selling 11,302 battery electric vehicles (BEV), down 0.3 percent from the same month last year.
By comparison, BYD had 28 percent of the BEV market in China in May, while Tesla, which sells more expensive models, has 11 percent.
Gallery: 2024 Volkswagen ID.3 Facelift
The VW ID.3 that’s sold in China is manufactured in Shanghai and is equipped with a single rear-mounted electric motor that develops 125 kilowatts (170 horsepower) and 228 pound-feet (310 Newton-meters) of torque. Juice is provided by a 57.3 kilowatt-hours ternary lithium-ion battery pack that enables a CLTC-rated driving range of 279 miles (450 kilometers).
The ID.3 is not sold in the United States. Here, the ID.4 crossover that’s made in Chattanooga, Tennessee represents the brand’s entry-level EV, with a starting price of $40,290 (including the $1,295 destination charge).
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