Volkswagen is set to suspend production of the ID.3 and Cupra Born electric vehicles (EVs) at its Zwickau and Dresden plants in Germany for two weeks during October due to weaker demand.
A Volkswagen spokesperson told Reuters vehicle production will be produced during the autumn holidays in Saxony from October 2 to 13 at its Zwickau plant.
Production of the ID.3 at the Dresden plant, on the other hand, will be suspended from October 2 and restart on October 16.
It’s not clear how many Volkswagen ID.3 and Cupra Born production slots will be lost as part of the pause in manufacturing.
This report comes only days after Automobilwoche reported the Volkswagen Group plans to end production at the Dresden factory altogether as part of a cost-cutting drive by CEO Oliver Blume.
Cutting production at the Dresden plant would reportedly save around 20 million euros (~A$33 million) annually, with the plant currently costing 60 to 70 million euros (~A$99-115 million) per year to operate.
A Volkswagen Australia spokesperson said they couldn’t comment on what is happening over in Europe, but confirmed it doesn’t change what plans the company already has in place in terms of ID.3 launch timing and Born supply.
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Cupra Born
The Cupra Born launched in Australia earlier this year, whereas the Volkswagen ID.3 isn’t set to launch locally until late 2024.
The latter of these vehicles recently received a facelift that saw some minor exterior tweaks, greater use of soft-touch trim on the inside, as well as the standard inclusion of a 12.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system.
The Cupra Born is only currently offered locally in a single e-Boost form with a 77kWh lithium-ion battery pack, and a rear-mounted electric motor producing 170kW and 310Nm.
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Volkswagen ID.3
A smaller 58kWh battery pack in available in other markets and Cupra Australia recently said it’s open to and investigating.
Volkswagen hasn’t detailed the local ID.3 lineup, other than to confirm we’ll receive the as-yet unrevealed GTX flagship.
The rear-wheel drive ID.3 range offers a choice of 58kWh and 77kWh batteries, just like the Born. The former offers 426km of range and 120kW DC charging, while the latter offers 546km and 170kW charging. In Pro guise, the ID.3 pumps out 150kW and 310Nm.
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