European deliveries of the Volkswagen ID.3, the first in a family of mass-market electric cars from the German automaker, have been delayed to September. Binding orders for the initial 30,000 1st Edition models can be made in Europe beginning June 17, VW said in a press release Wednesday.
The press release did not cite a specific reason for the delay, but The Wall Street Journal reports that it is due to ongoing software issues with the car, which was originally slated to begin deliveries by mid 2020.
VW said the first cars will ship without two software-based features—App Connect and a distance feature for the head-up display. These features will be activated with a software update at the beginning of next year, the automaker said.
Customers can also opt to wait until fourth-quarter 2020 for delivery, at which point cars will ship with all features activated, according to VW.
Volkswagen ID 3
Owners should be able to start saving money once these hatchbacks are finally in their driveways. VW previously touted very low ownership costs, and owners can take advantage of new incentives in Germany.
Electric powertrain aside, the ID.3 has some features that are firsts for VW, including an LED-based communication system for driver alerts that illuminates in different colors for different notifications.
The ID.3 isn't coming to the U.S., which will get the ID.4 crossover based on the same MEB architecture instead. Volkswagen of America recently confirmed to Green Car Reports that it still aims to deliver the ID.4 in the U.S. by the end of the year.
VW plans to produce millions of EVs, and 27 distinct models across all its brands by 2022. The ID.3 is the first.
