Volkswagen has cut the price of the base ID.3 electric hatchback in Germany by $4,280 (€4,000) following the unveiling of the facelifted model.

The new base version of the facelifted 2024 Volkswagen ID.3, which is called ID.3 Pro, starts at $42,800 (€39,995) in Germany, including 19 percent VAT. The previous entry-level model, the ID.3 Pro Life, had a base price of $47,100 (€43,995).

The new VW ID.3 Pro is equipped with a 58-kilowatt-hour battery pack, just like the outgoing ID.3 Pro Life. It is unclear how different the equipment of the new ID.3 Pro is compared to the old ID.3 Pro Life.

However, we do know the facelifted model will bring updates such as the new 12-inch central touchscreen, the new center console with USB-C connections, improved materials, and other minor upgrades. 

As with the soon-to-be-discontinued Volkswagen ID.3 Pro Life, the facelifted ID.3 Pro features a 150-kilowatt (201-horsepower) motor driving the rear wheels. Volkswagen will kick off pre-sales of the facelifted 2024 ID.3 Pro in Germany at the end of March. Deliveries will reportedly begin in the fourth quarter of 2023.

Until the automaker launches its entry-level hatchback and crossover sometime in 2025, the ID.3 could become even more affordable with the introduction of a smaller battery pack. 

Volkswagen Passenger Cars sales director Imelda Labbé told German publication Handelsblatt that the ID.3 could get a smaller battery again in the future, lowering the entry-level price once more. 

“We are looking into that,” the brand executive said. However, as Electrive points out, the supply situation would have to improve further for that to happen. 

As a reminder, Volkswagen stopped offering the ID.3 with the 45-kWh battery pack in the summer of 2021. At the time, the automaker said the ID.3 Pure model had become unavailable due to the global chipset crisis. 

While Volkswagen said the production pause was temporary and production would resume in early 2022, that never happened. This led to speculation that the automaker used the semiconductor crisis as an excuse to axe the 45-kWh model.

VW said at the time that entry-level versions are generally rarely chosen by customers.