Back in 2017 when I saw the prototype of the VW ID.3 at the international auto show IAA in Frankfurt, I wondered if this would be the success that VW was hoping for.
VW ID.3, photo by Jesper Berggreen, IAA 2017 (note the steering wheel embedded in the dash for autonomous mode)
Last year I saw the production version of the ID.3 at the same show, and the German visitors were truly excited about it. Never had I seen so many families with kids and strollers crawling in and out of a compact car model. I wrote back then that I had no doubt about what people were thinking: “Yes, this could work!”
VW ID.3, photo by Jesper Berggreen IAA 2019
Last year I was happy to announce that the Tesla Model 3 was the first electric car to win the title in Denmark since the title was introduced in 1969. This year I am equally thrilled to realize that it is again an electric car that achieved this honor. Do we see a trend? I think so.
VW ID.3 Is The 2nd Electric Car To Win The Title In A Row
Today the Danish Motorist Association (FDM) revealed that the VW ID.3 has won the prestigious price Car Of The Year 2021. Read more about the ID.3 here. This is the fifth time that VW took the title, beginning with the original Golf in 1975.
Following is a translation of the press release:
Electric car is the Car of the Year in Denmark 2021
After a close race, the VW ID.3 achieved the title of Car of the Year in Denmark 2021. This is the second year in a row that an electric car has been named Car of the Year in Denmark. In second place, the Seat Leon just beat the Toyota Yaris. This year’s winning car can do pretty much everything you expect from a modern car, says FDM.
VW ID.3 is the Car of the Year in Denmark 2021. The new electric car got the title when the association of Danish motor journalists on Tuesday afternoon handed out the prize at FDM in Lyngby.
This is the second year in a row that an electric car has been named Car of the Year in Denmark. Last year, it was the Tesla Model 3 that ran with the honorary title.
VW ID.3 is German Volkswagen’s first electric car built from scratch. And even though it was first launched in Denmark this autumn, it has been enough to convince the jury.
For FDM’s car technical editor, the choice of VW ID.3 as winner of this year’s title therefore does not come as a surprise:
“Despite certain small flaws, overall it is an electric car that can do pretty much everything you expect from a modern car. It heralds good news for future car buyers and shows in practice that driving an electric car can be fun, comfortable and economically attractive. And as the Euro NCAP test showed, safety is top notch” says FDM’s car technical editor, Søren W. Rasmussen.
As something new, the final field this year was expanded from five to seven cars. Here, there were just a few points between Seat Leon and the Toyota Yaris in 2nd and 3rd place. In addition, the candidates was characterized by the fact that only one of the cars, the BMW 4 Series, is currently not available in an electrified version.
“The cars in this year’s finals each represent in their own way the car world we have in front of us right now. There are two pure electric cars, a single that is available as an electric, petrol and diesel car, a hybrid car and two plug-in hybrids as well as a single so-called muscle car. And precisely that mix of concepts reflects the choices the consumer faces when choosing a new car. A few years ago, electric cars were a rarity, but in a few years it will probably be difficult to spot anything other than electric cars” says Søren W. Rasmussen.
VW ID.3 (photo credit: FDM)
The victory comes at a time when sales of electric cars have picked up speed in the country. Close to 10,000 electric cars have now been registered this year, corresponding to approx. 5.6% of total sales. This is more than a doubling from 2019. Plug-in hybrids make up approx. 8%.
The Finalists Of Car Of The Year 2021 In Denmark
1. VW ID.3 150 points
2. Seat Leon 122 points
3. Toyota Yaris 114 points
4. Peugeot 2008 91 points
5. BMW 4-serie 64 points
6. Honda e 63 points
7. Renault Captur 56 points
Photo credit: FDM
The jury behind Car of the Year in Denmark consists of 22 car experts organized in Danish Motor Journalists. 4 of them are from the magazine Motor (FDM) and 3 of these had the VW ID.3 in their first place, while the fourth had the German electric car as number two.
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