Frankfurt (AFP)

New car, new range, new logo: Volkswagen unveiled on Monday evening the compact sedan ID.3, first of a series of new electric models, a bet to 30 billion to try to win in the electro-mobility and turn the dieselgate page.

A crowded crowd of journalists gathered in a gigantic hall of the Frankfurt Motor Show, whose press days start on Tuesday.

Applause welcomed the arrival of the car on a stage surrounded by long white curtains, supposed to represent the blank sheet on which the German group wants to reinvent itself.

Based on a brand new platform optimized for electric engines, the vehicle with sober lines is distinguished by large wheels, a very short overhang and a large interior space given its limited length. Inside, a large touch screen adorns the dashboard.

"This evening is a decisive moment for us," said boss Herbert Diess. "ID.3 is launching the brand's huge electric offensive," he said, recalling that he planned to present by 2028 nearly 70 new electric vehicles.

Volkswagen is happy to compare the ID.3 to the two models that built its image, the Ladybug and the Golf.

In order to allow the group to respect the European CO2 ceilings, the manufacturer, whose image has been severely affected by the scandal of faked diesel engines, will need to sell a large number of electric vehicles.

- Success 'vital' -

The ID.3 "must be a success, it's vital," Stefan Bratzel, director of the Center of Automotive Management, told AFP.

The group deploys the major means to give itself a "younger, more dynamic and more modern" image, according to Ralf Brandstätter, director of the VW brand.

For the first time since 2012, tens of thousands of logos will be changed at dealerships, before the arrival of the new sedan whose deliveries will start in the spring.

It is about "regaining the esteem of society", four years after the outbreak of the biggest industrial scandal of Germany after the war, says Mr. Brandstätter.

In 2015, Volkswagen acknowledged having installed, in 11 million vehicles, software designed to make them appear less polluting during laboratory approval tests.

But this scandal, which has already cost him more than 30 billion euros, has proved to be "a catalyst for electric mobility," says Bratzel.

This first model of the "ID" series, sold at "less than 30,000 euros", inaugurates the technological platform "MEB" which will be common to all the electric models of the range. The group, which wants to invest 30 billion euros in the electrification of its models, has bet big.

- Uncertain profitability -

With ID.3, Volkswagen will try to catch up. Competitors such as Tesla, Renault, Nissan, BWM, as well as the Chinese BYD and BAIC had left with a head start.

Volkswagen is targeting one million so-called "zero emission" cars sold annually by 2025, and already claims more than 30,000 pre-orders for its new model.

But currently, sales of 100% electric cars still account for only 2% of the market.

"They have to find a way to sell them, otherwise they will not survive," says Ferdinand Dudenhöffer, director of Center Automotive Research (CAR).

Given the relatively low volumes, Volkswagen warned that ID.3 would not be profitable at startup. "In the medium term, there is no money to be made with electric cars," confirms Mr. Dudenhöffer.

But "around 2023-2024, battery production capacity will be available in Europe and prices will drop," he says.

To share costs, Volkswagen will license Ford to use its platform as part of a partnership.

Volkswagen therefore intends to continue to earn money on its popular SUVs, even if they are more and more criticized by the environmentalists. By 2025, the brand wants to go from 11 to 30 SUV models, some with electric motor.

© 2019 AFP