At the event in Emden, where a VW top brass handed over the 1.5 millionth ID. model, VW sales chief Martin Sander was calling for greater government support to accelerate the shift to electric vehicles. Meanwhile, VW introduced a power hike on its ID.3 EV by subscription. First reactions aren’t that enthusiastic.

“We need a clear signal and targeted state incentives to overcome private buyers’ scepticism and boost demand in this segment,” Martin Sander said on Friday. He noted that the majority of new electric vehicle registrations currently come from corporate customers, who benefit from separate tax breaks.

1.5 million IDs

The remarks came as VW celebrated the delivery of its 1.5 millionth fully electric car from its ID series at the company’s Emden plant, which produces only EVs.

Lower Saxony state Premier Olaf Lies praised the factory as a model for the industry’s transition. “The ID.7 is a strong piece of Lower Saxony and proof of the state’s ability to transform,” he said. According to VW, the ID.7 Tourer was the most registered electric vehicle in Germany in the first half of 2025.

“1.5 million ID. models delivered, this clearly shows that Volkswagen is a pioneer in the field of electromobility,” said Martin Sander, Board member for Sales, Marketing and After Sales.

Almost exactly five years ago, in September 2020, the first electric vehicles from Volkswagen’s all-electric ID. family were delivered. Volkswagen now tops the registration statistics in the electric segment not only in Germany but also in Europe.

“This confirms that our portfolio contains the vehicles our customers need. As a company, we are on the right path. Volkswagen remains a trailblazer in the ramp-up phase of electromobility,” Sander added.

Outside criticism

However, the slower-than-expected rollout of EVs continues to be a drag on Germany’s struggling automotive industry. “German manufacturers have slept through the shift to electromobility,” said Frank Schwope, an automotive analyst and lecturer at the University of Applied Sciences for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in Berlin.

He added that German brands have struggled to appeal to younger and more modern car buyers, particularly in China, the world’s largest auto market.

Power by subscription

A recent marketing decision of VW will certainly not help win over younger, more modern car buyers. Volkswagen has put performance and some other things behind a paywall, at least for ID.3 drivers. The Wolfsburg-based company is now offering a 20 kW power upgrade for the ID.3 Pro for a one-off payment of €629, or €18.90 per month.

The technical basis for the currently controversial subscription model at Volkswagen essentially dates back to the changes introduced by VW to the ID.3 in May 2025.

The power output of the ID.3 Pro S (with the 77 kWh battery) increased to 170 kW at that time, while it remained at the previously known 150 kW in the ID.3 Pro (with 59 kWh in the underbody), but it is the same drive system, the APP310 with 310 Nm of torque. In some markets, the ID.3 Pro was also converted directly to 170 kW at the time.

In Germany and other markets where the ID.3 Pro was still offered with 150 kW, new and existing vehicles can be retrofitted to have a peak power of 170 kW. However, this is not possible when ordering new vehicles directly; it can only be done retrospectively via the VW Connect Store, and only for existing vehicles with software version 3.2.1 or higher.

As already mentioned, either a one-time fee of €629 or a monthly fee of €18.90 will be charged. If the contract is cancelled for the subscription option, the output is then reduced back to 150 kW. With the one-off payment, the upgrade to 170 kW remains vehicle-bound, so the drive power will also stay when reselling.

Incidentally, the performance upgrade does not affect registration: according to VW, the highest possible performance is already specified in the registration certificate, so no change or registration is necessary.

The ‘Performance Upgrade’ is not the only function that can be retrofitted to an ID.3 (or other ID. models). Depending on the model, navigation is available from €23/month, ‘Light Assist’ high beam control from €4.50/month, and ACC adaptive cruise control costs €9.50/month, to name just a few examples.

Here too, unlimited activation is possible for a one-off payment, even if the vehicle was not ordered with this function. This is interesting for the emerging used car market, for example.

Mitigated reactions

The new VW offer was announced at the weekend, initially for customers in the UK only, and the uproar on social media was already huge. In the past, similar campaigns by other manufacturers to retroactively unlock vehicle options that have already been installed via a subscription have been much discussed.

At BMW, for example, this concern was related to seat heating, which has already been abandoned; at Mercedes, it was the maximum possible steering angle of the rear axle steering, or, in the US only, the performance of the EQE and EQE SUV.

Tesla also offers the option to retroactively activate functions for which the necessary hardware is installed, ranging from the ‘Full Self Driving’ driving assistant to a performance upgrade. Polestar also offers performance upgrades.

The possibility of upgrading an electric vehicle may be attractive to second-hand buyers, who can then choose options that the original owner didn’t want or need.

However, if the targeted younger buyer is happy with the deal, it remains to be seen. As car magazine Auto Express pointed out in its initial reaction, the monthly payment for a 20 kW model is nearly three times that of a standard Netflix membership.