[Falcon73]

I have had a reservation for the ID.4 for months, but a car I'd really like to see in the US or at least California is the ID.3. I am currently considering buying an e-Golf and already have a Nissan Leaf (2018).

We want more efficient cars that aren't Teslas (so tired of them around here) and I tried a Tesla but the seat didn't fit my back and I didn't like the controls.

I like hatchbacks the most of any car, but the options are few in the USA, especially with the Bolt going down for many months.

What ideas do people have to encourage VW to bring the ID.3 to US shores? The Leaf is a great car, but it's really showing its age w/o liquid cooling for the battery just to name one point for now.

It's time to start retiring the previously "green" Priuses which were obviously hugely popular here in Cali.

Thanks for any suggestions. I found a petition that I could link here as well.

 

[Spin]

Welcome to the group. ID.3 in the US is probably not going to happen, but good luck trying! Hopefully your ID.4 comes this year.

 

[rth121]

Unfortunately the US market prefers SUV/CUV and Pickups and that's where all the manufacturers are going towards. There's little to no chance VW would bring the ID.3 to the US market as they don't see US buyers are interested in small hatchbacks.

Even Toyota doesn't seem to be interested in updating the Prius as they're transitioning put hybrid in every other vehicles now and fewer and fewer people are purchasing prius as a result.

 

[Pascal]

I have had a reservation for the ID.4 for months, but a car I'd really like to see in the US or at least California is the ID.3. I am currently considering buying an e-Golf and already have a Nissan Leaf (2018).

We want more efficient cars that aren't Teslas (so tired of them around here) and I tried a Tesla but the seat didn't fit my back and I didn't like the controls.

I like hatchbacks the most of any car, but the options are few in the USA, especially with the Bolt going down for many months.

What ideas do people have to encourage VW to bring the ID.3 to US shores? The Leaf is a great car, but it's really showing its age w/o liquid cooling for the battery just to name one point for now.

It's time to start retiring the previously "green" Priuses which were obviously hugely popular here in Cali.

Thanks for any suggestions. I found a petition that I could link here as well.

My advice is to stick with the ID4.
We Europeans usually see the ID3 and ID4 next to each other in the showroom.
Both cars look very good from the outside in their shape, but when you compare the inside there is a very big difference in materials.
The small price difference and difference in interior space and trunk space is therefore difficult to justify

 

[Falcon73]

Unfortunately the US market prefers SUV/CUV and Pickups and that's where all the manufacturers are going towards. There's little to no chance VW would bring the ID.3 to the US market as they don't see US buyers are interested in small hatchbacks.

Even Toyota doesn't seem to be interested in updating the Prius as they're transitioning put hybrid in every other vehicles now and fewer and fewer people are purchasing prius as a result.

I asked a friend who has a Fiat 500e and yeah it's also not sold here (anymore - and was only sold in Cali he said).

Why are big tank-like cars so popular here in the US? I don't get it. But still, there's a massive number of Priuses here, but most are getting older. The newest ones are usually the Prius Prime, but that car was too low for me and scraped the ground like mad. It also was just a PHEV, of course. Why don't Toyota make a Prius BEV?

Small hatchbacks are just so much more convenient. I don't get it. How many 300 mile+ road trips do people make around here? A lot, apparently...

It's a very different world here in the US than the EU I know, but in SoCal, I've discovered that little runabout cars are awesome.

Smaller cars need fewer parts and smaller batteries. With the focus on massive cars and SUV's is it any wonder that parts are in short supply?

Thank you for the input.

 

[rth121]

I asked a friend who has a Fiat 500e and yeah it's also not sold here (anymore - and was only sold in Cali he said).

Why are big tank-like cars so popular here in the US? I don't get it. But still, there's a massive number of Priuses here, but most are getting older. The newest ones are usually the Prius Prime, but that car was too low for me and scraped the ground like mad. It also was just a PHEV, of course. Why don't Toyota make a Prius BEV?

Small hatchbacks are just so much more convenient. I don't get it. How many 300 mile+ road trips do people make around here? A lot, apparently...

It's a very different world here in the US than the EU I know, but in SoCal, I've discovered that little runabout cars are awesome.

Smaller cars need fewer parts and smaller batteries. With the focus on massive cars and SUV's is it any wonder that parts are in short supply?

Thank you for the input.

Bigger cars have more profit margin. Manufacturers and dealers can charge higher prices for the same or similar materials they would have used in smaller cars; though this probably doesn't hold true for EVs as the bigger the car is, the more battery it would require most likely.

Prius Prime is more frequent seller in California most likely due to federal state tax credit, but that's going away soon for Toyota. Why no Prius BEV? No one buys it if it's that "tiny" in US - which is why Toyota released the BZ4X - an SUV BEV.

 

[Froggy]

I wouldn't exactly call the ID4 massive, it's in the same category as Rav4's, Rogue's, Equinox etc. Perfectly suitable for me as a sole vehicle, adequate at most things and excellent at many. I drove hatchbacks for most of my adult life, the previous car was a Mazda 3. But due to an early stage cataract I had to get a higher seating position, headlights from large SUVs and pickups were blinding me at night. That ended as soon as I got the ID4 and it's turning headlights are also something that I would be loathe to give up. With electricity coming from many sources, some quit eco friendly, straining for the last watt of fuel efficiency isn't really necessary.

I can understand how residents of urban anthills could use even smaller and easier to park vehicles though.

 

[Chamelean75]

Bigger cars have more profit margin. Manufacturers and dealers can charge higher prices for the same or similar materials they would have used in smaller cars; though this probably doesn't hold true for EVs as the bigger the car is, the more battery it would require most likely.

Prius Prime is more frequent seller in California most likely due to federal state tax credit, but that's going away soon for Toyota. Why no Prius BEV? No one buys it if it's that "tiny" in US - which is why Toyota released the BZ4X - an SUV BEV.

I live in the San Francisco Bay area (East Bay). I can say that for my area, although I do see a lot of Tesla's, by far the most popular car I see are prius's and the Rav4 (including non hybrid, hybrid and prime.) Side note, the radio has been playing ads from Toyota, not advertising a specific car, but stating that they have 11 different hybrid cars and that we should all go to a dealership to save gas today. I have yet to hear any kind of ad for the BZ4X.

 

[Spin]

I have yet to hear any kind of ad for the BZ4X.

No need to advertise it. They will sell every car they produce and still have a waiting list.

 

[Chamelean75]

No need to advertise it. They will sell every car they produce and still have a waiting list.

I put myself on a waitlist at a few dealerships for the Toyota BZ4X. First dealership contacted me that they sold out of their entire first shipment in 5 min but that I was still on the waitlist. Second dealership tried to sell me the car $11,000 over MSRP which I passed on. It made me really appreciate the online VW ordering experience. EV cars are so popular around here that they are sold as soon as they hit the lot. It's so stressful to try to get one.

 

[Spin]

I put myself on a waitlist at a few dealerships for the Toyota BZ4X. First dealership contacted me that they sold out of their entire first shipment in 5 min but that I was still on the waitlist. Second dealership tried to sell me the car $11,000 over MSRP which I passed on. It made me really appreciate the online VW ordering experience. EV cars are so popular around here that they are sold as soon as they hit the lot. It's so stressful to try to get one.

For $11,000 you could buy enough gas to drive a RAV4 hybrid 100,000 miles. Why anyone would allow a dealer to rip them off like that is beyond me.

 

[Nai3t]

I can understand how residents of urban anthills could use even smaller and easier to park vehicles though.

Hey! I thought my wife coined that term! 😄

 

[sirozha]

I have had a reservation for the ID.4 for months, but a car I'd really like to see in the US or at least California is the ID.3. I am currently considering buying an e-Golf and already have a Nissan Leaf (2018).

We want more efficient cars that aren't Teslas (so tired of them around here) and I tried a Tesla but the seat didn't fit my back and I didn't like the controls.

I like hatchbacks the most of any car, but the options are few in the USA, especially with the Bolt going down for many months.

What ideas do people have to encourage VW to bring the ID.3 to US shores? The Leaf is a great car, but it's really showing its age w/o liquid cooling for the battery just to name one point for now.

It's time to start retiring the previously "green" Priuses which were obviously hugely popular here in Cali.

Thanks for any suggestions. I found a petition that I could link here as well.

If you like a hatchback, look at the Kia EV6. It’s a hatchback.

 

[VW TECHNICIAN]

If you like a hatchback, look at the Kia EV6. It’s a hatchback.

Ioniq5 would be as close as you can get to ID3. But they have battery cooling design issues on EV6 and Ioniq5 ...maybe 2 or 3 revision will make it right. Biggest issues with making good looking hatchback vehicles are space needed for large battery. And this alone is stretching design to long wheel base ( example Ioniq5). Probably when battery density improves and less space needed for large battery, hatchbacks will return. I'm more for family sedan or hot looking station wagon design ( wagons will definitely deliver better aerodynamic and efficiency).

 

[rth121]

Just lower the VW ID.4 and call it a big/long hatchback

 

[Pascal]

Just lower the VW ID.4 and call it a big/long hatchback

 

[M.B]

I couldn’t agree more. I think the ID.3 would fly off the shelves in the US. Why does everything have to get bigger all the time? Compare Rav4 from 20 years ago to nowadays. It’s like an obesity crisis for cars.

 

[Huey52]

Easy to import the ID.3 to the USA, just wait 25 years ... ummmm not easy for me at this point!! 🤷‍♂️

I know a couple guys who have used this "rule" to import vintage Japanese domestic market (JDM) vehicles, such as the Mazda Cosmo rotary engined coupe.

"The Imported Vehicle Safety Compliance Act, commonly known as the 25-year import rule. It prevents individuals from importing new foreign-market vehicles without undertaking a lengthy—and costly—testing and federalization process. Proponents of the legislation claim the IVSCA keeps American drivers safe."

Personally I would have bought an ID.3 if USA-available. The cargo capacity of the ID.4 has been even more useful than anticipated (my daughter recently needed moving help) but I really would be just fine with the ID.3 most of the time, and a smaller garage footprint.

 

[Falcon73]

Well, I will hold my ID.4 reservation, but what the dealer told me has been an absolute joke ("You will receive an email to complete your order within 2 weeks..." - yeah that was in January), but I'm not surprised considering my experience with dealers over the past couple years. It seems certain the ID.4 will still be faster than wishing for an ID.3

 

[sirozha]

I couldn’t agree more. I think the ID.3 would fly off the shelves in the US. Why does everything have to get bigger all the time? Compare Rav4 from 20 years ago to nowadays. It’s like an obesity crisis for cars.

That’s interesting. IMO the ID.4 is not big enough.