[NeverhadanEVbefore]

As poorly as the ID.3 has been selling (reportedly – I'm not paying attention) shouldn't this small performance boost have been included at some point, not held back for 5 years? That doesn't pass the smell test.

It’s actually picking up is their second-best H1/2025. Unknown how much of this is due to the new GTX version (which is still not AWD).

But ID.4/5 - which they reasonably group into one - is still the top model. And even ID.7 - way bigger and expensive - sold almost half of ID.3. And should you actually group together ID.4/5 and Skoda Enyaq and Cupra Tavascan (same cars, to an extent) against ID.3 and Cupra Born (again, same), the ID.3 does not look so hot.

I do believe it was worse in 2024, but if your ”entry” EV that is reasonable size and cheaper than the big brothers is not your number one seller…

Volkswagen Group delivers around 50 percent more all-electric vehicles worldwide

On July 9, 2025, the Volkswagen Group published its delivery figures for the first half of 2025.

www.volkswagen-group.com

 

[NeverhadanEVbefore]

So that 'purchase' by the end user was just a temporary license to use and subject to modification.

It never was anything else. Same with anything bought off Steam or the PS5 store. License/”rent” only.

Cannot gift or sell to another person, and when you pass, so will your account and poof, everything paid for is gone.

 

[NeverhadanEVbefore]

-- but at end of life, I'd happily pay for a power upgrade to sell the vehicle...

I believe there is a distinction between an actual "we changed something in the hardware" -upgrade and merely enabling something that is already there. The price of something should correlate with the cost of something. Now VW is including everything needed for the boost in the car, so all cost accruing to VW is already set. Does someone believe they are loosing money unless people pay for the "upgrade"? Of course not.

It therefore goes to reason that VW has already made all the money they need to profitably manufacture the car as it is. Unlocking the extra power is the cost of the data sent out to the car, so their profit margin on the update is something like 99,99 % or so.

And I believe that is what annoys people. At least that is what annoys me. I would be supposed to pay extra for something that costs nothing extra to VW. If unlocking the extra power required swapping hardware or even taking the car to a shop where I need to pay for the time of a tech re-coding something, maybe, but this or paying a sub for heated seats (looking at you, BMW)? Hell no.