The ID.3 was the focus of Chancellor Angela Merkel's visit to the Volkswagen stand at the International Motor Show. Herbert Diess, Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG, presented Angela Merkel together with Ralf Brandstätter, COO of the Volkswagen brand, the fully electric ID.3 on stage. The Chancellor inquired with interest about the technical details of the vehicle, such as battery size and top speed. After sitting in the driver's seat, she praised the car: "Very good. Very spacious!”
"Very good. Very spacious!"
Chancellor Angela Merkel opens IAA 2019 in Frankfurt for the public. During her visit to the Volkswagen stand she showed great interest in the ID.3 (1).
Angela Merkel with Volkswagen CEO Herbert Diess in front of the ID.3.
During the Chancellor's IAA tour, the environmental group Greenpeace protested. Herbert Diess emphasized the commitment of the entire Group to electromobility: “We want to continue making individual mobility accessible to everyone in future. That means harnessing innovative technologies to make the car cleaner, even safer and climate-neutral. E-mobility is the best and most efficient option for reducing CO-2 emissions from transport.”
The Volkswagen CEO underscored: “We are facing a genuine change of system that the automotive industry cannot tackle alone. For emission-free mobility to gain broad acceptance swiftly, we need a masterplan and more commitment from all parties, above all as regards the energy transition and the nationwide development of the charging infrastructure. The task now is for the Federal government to consistently continue along its path.”
Diess also emphasized the importance of making e-mobility available for low-income earners and small businesses. He said this included extending financial incentives for e-mobility to the used vehicle market, maintaining the lower rate of company car taxation or free battery charging for vehicles priced at less than €20,000.
“The use of electric vehicles must be worthwhile for the consumer, otherwise they will not decide to use this form of clean mobility. Reducing CO-2 even faster is only possible if e-mobility gains broad acceptance. That is the only right and necessary way to meet the ambitious climate protection requirements and the targets set out in the Paris Agreement that we are committed to fulfilling”, Diess said.
Volkswagen wants to make the switch to the electric car as attractive as possible. In line with this, VW also offers a complete package for convenient charging of electric cars at home. The new ID. Charger will be able to load their e-cars quickly and conveniently at home. It offers a charging capacity of up to 11 kW and charges almost five times as fast as a normal household socket. According to Volkswagen estimates, around half of all charging processes for electric cars will take place at home in the future.
Over the next ten years, almost 70 new electric models will be launched across the Group. As the first vehicle of the new generation, the ID.3 has now celebrated its world premiere at the IAA 2019. Further models of the ID. Family will follow. Climate protection becomes a driving force for innovation at Volkswagen.
(1) The vehicle is not yet available for sale in Europe.
