Volkswagen has celebrated a significant milestone, as handovers of the ID.3 1^ST Edition have commenced. The first limited-edition cars were handed over to British customers last week. Volkswagen says the ID.3 introduces the brand’s third era, and democratises electric mobility after the original Beetle – the People’s Car, which took mobility to the masses – and the Golf, which brought innovation and luxury to the motoring public.

At Volkswagen retailers up and down the country, deliveries of the ID.3 1^ST Edition commenced last week, with the first customers collecting their cars. The Grand Handover event saw these initial cars handed over to early adopters of the ID.3, who had been on the waiting list to receive a 1^ST Edition car.

The model was previewed in 2016 as an electric concept intended to go sale this year. Volkswagen says the production car stays true to the roots of the concept, delivering the promises of long ranges, technological innovations, intelligent connectivity and an engaging drive.

The ID.3 is produced in Volkswagen’s Zwickau plant in the east of Germany. The Zwickau factory is entirely powered by renewable energy, with many third-parties in the supply chain also using green energy. Where carbon emissions are unavoidable, for example during shipping, CO₂ emissions are compensated by supporting internationally recognised climate protection projects. As a result the ID.3 is delivered as a carbon neutral product according to the TÜV Nord Standard TN-CC 020. The ID.3’s low environmental impact can be continued into the car’s working life, should owners choose to charge it using renewable energy.

Andrew Savvas, Volkswagen UK Managing Director, was at Volkswagen Cambridge for its Grand Handover event on Friday and said: “I am incredibly proud to witness this moment. Volkswagen has made a commitment to our future, and our children’s future. In 2018 we were the first car maker to sign up to the Paris Agreement on CO₂, while last year we announced our new environmental mission statement ‘goTozero’ the aim of which is to achieve a neutral CO₂ balance by 2050. We intend to be the world market leader in e-mobility, and to achieve this we are investing €33 billion (£30.3 billion) by 2024, including €11 billion (£10.1 billion) for the Volkswagen brand alone.

“Today we are seeing the first UK customers drive away in the ID.3 1^ST Edition, the first Volkswagen Group product on the new MEB platform. This is a significant moment, and the start of a massive shift. Some of my colleagues were there for this moment in 1974 when the first Golfs were delivered in the UK, and over 35 million have been sold since. Today I feel a sense of genuine excitement. The MEB platform will underpin numerous products across the Group in the coming months and years. In fact, only next week we unveil the ID.4, Volkswagen’s first electric SUV, which will be sold globally. By 2029 the Group aims to sell 20 million vehicles based on the MEB platform. Today is just the beginning and I can’t wait to see these ID.3s out on UK roads.”