Volkswagen prepares to launch ID.3 at its transparent factory in Dresden

December 23

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marked the final day of manufacturing of the Volkswagen e-Golf at the Transparent Factory in Dresden.

With the e-Golf in Uranogrey, a total of 50,401 vehicles have been manufactured in Dresden since March 2017. At the beginning of the new year 2021, the production area of the Transparent Factory will be reconstructed for three weeks before the first ID.3 series vehicles roll off the assembly lines in Dresden at the end of January.

Danny Auerswald, head of plant of the Transparent Factory said: “The end of the e-Golf is also the start of the final preparations for the ID.3. In just a few weeks, we will be opening the next chapter for the Transparent Factory. After Zwickau, we are the second location in Europe to manufacture vehicles based on the new modular e-drive system. Volkswagen is thus underlining the importance of the Saxon plants in the group-wide E-offensive.”

Thomas Aehlig, chairman of the works council of the Transparent Factory added: “The start of assembly of the ID.3 is very good news for the workforce and the reward for the many efforts made in the transformation of the site since 2016. We have thus achieved sustainable job security for the core workforce and a positive future perspective for the site.”

At the beginning of 2021, the production area of the Transparent Factory will be converted to meet the requirements of the Modular Electric Drive Kit (MEB). The first conversions for the ID.3 already took place in summer 2020. As one of seven stations, the “marriage”, where the body and chassis are bolted together, was adapted. The conversion measures in winter include, for example, the installation of a system on which the panoramic roof is fitted and the adaptation of the gripping devices for the installation of the cockpit and seat system.

The e-Golf was launched in 2014 and was produced in Wolfsburg until summer 2020. In 2017, the Transparent Factory started production in parallel to meet the high demand. In total, 145,561 left the two German production facilities in more than seven years. Measured by sales figures, the e-Golf is one of the most popular e-cars in Europe – especially with customers in Norway and the German home market.

The launch of the e-Golf also marked the strategic realignment of the company into a “Centre of Future Mobility”. Innovative business areas such as the “Future Mobility Incubator”, Volkswagen’s start-up programme, and the “Future Mobility Campus”, a learning laboratory for training and further education, the expansion of vehicle delivery and as a test field for Production 4.0, have made the location fit for the future. This successful transformation will continue apace with the imminent series production of the ID.3 from the end of January 2021.

ID.3 is the first car based on Volkswagen’s Modular Electric Drive Kit (MEB). The platform was developed specifically for electric vehicles, maximizing the possibilities of electric vehicles. For example, ID.3 has a long cruising range, sufficient internal space, and good maneuverability. Since the launch of the European market in September, more than 28,000 cars have been delivered to customers.