عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Varieties

Volkswagen Launches First All-Electric Car

An employee holds a Volkswagen logo in a production line at the Volkswagen plant in Wolfsburg, Germany March 1, 2019. (Reuters)
An employee holds a Volkswagen logo in a production line at the Volkswagen plant in Wolfsburg, Germany March 1, 2019. (Reuters)
    Hanover, London - Asharq Al-Awsat
TT
20
TT

Volkswagen Launches First All-Electric Car

An employee holds a Volkswagen logo in a production line at the Volkswagen plant in Wolfsburg, Germany March 1, 2019. (Reuters)
An employee holds a Volkswagen logo in a production line at the Volkswagen plant in Wolfsburg, Germany March 1, 2019. (Reuters)

Giant German automaker Volkswagen has launched the production of its all-electric car ID.3, to be manufactured on a large scale.

The breakthrough at the Volkswagen plant in Zwickau came ahead of the Berlin auto summit that kicked off on Monday reported the German news agency.

The ID.3 will be the first model in a new series by Volkswagen to attract a wide audience and form the basis for other models of electric vehicles.

Overseas customers are expected to start buying the model in mid-2020.

German Chancellor Angela took part in the launch, along with CEO Herbert Diess.

The company plans to produce about 100,000 cars in Zwickau next year.

Like other automakers, the company is investing billions of euros in the transition from internal combustion engines to alternative engines. The company had hoped to present a more real and eco-friendly image following the 2015 diesel scandal.

"Volkswagen is on its way to producing cars for everyone without emissions. The company's goal is to become a global leader in the industry of electric vehicles with annual sales of up to one million electric vehicles by 2025," said Ralf Brandstätter, Volkswagen's chief operating officer from Wolfsburg.

Most Viewed

 
Varieties

Mount Fuji Hikers to be Charged $27 on All Trails

(FILES) A chimney is seen at the Keihin Industrial Zone as Mount Fuji (background L), Japan's highest mountain at 3,776 meters (12,388 feet), looms in the background as viewed from the observation deck of Kawasaki Marien in Kawasaki on January 24, 2022. (Photo by Philip FONG / AFP)
(FILES) A chimney is seen at the Keihin Industrial Zone as Mount Fuji (background L), Japan's highest mountain at 3,776 meters (12,388 feet), looms in the background as viewed from the observation deck of Kawasaki Marien in Kawasaki on January 24, 2022. (Photo by Philip FONG / AFP)
TT
20
TT

Mount Fuji Hikers to be Charged $27 on All Trails

(FILES) A chimney is seen at the Keihin Industrial Zone as Mount Fuji (background L), Japan's highest mountain at 3,776 meters (12,388 feet), looms in the background as viewed from the observation deck of Kawasaki Marien in Kawasaki on January 24, 2022. (Photo by Philip FONG / AFP)
(FILES) A chimney is seen at the Keihin Industrial Zone as Mount Fuji (background L), Japan's highest mountain at 3,776 meters (12,388 feet), looms in the background as viewed from the observation deck of Kawasaki Marien in Kawasaki on January 24, 2022. (Photo by Philip FONG / AFP)

Hikers attempting any of Mount Fuji's four main trails will be charged an entry fee of 4,000 yen ($27) from this summer, after local authorities passed a bill on Monday.

A record influx of foreign tourists to Japan has sparked alarm about overcrowding on the nation's highest mountain, a once-peaceful pilgrimage site.

Last year, Yamanashi region -- home to Mount Fuji -- introduced a 2,000 yen ($14) entry fee plus an optional donation for the active volcano's most popular hiking route, the Yoshida Trail.

A cap on daily entries and online reservations were also brought in on that trail by officials concerned about safety and environmental damage on Fuji's majestic slopes.

The Yoshida Trail fee will be doubled for this year's July-September climbing season, while neighboring Shizuoka region passed a bill on Monday to also charge 4,000 yen for its three trails, which were previously free, AFP reported.

Thanks in part to the new restrictions, the number of climbers who tackled Mount Fuji declined to 204,316 last year, from 221,322 in 2023, environment ministry data shows.

Although climber numbers continue to be eclipsed by pre-pandemic levels, "200,000 hikers is still huge", Natsuko Sodeyama, a Shizuoka prefecture official, told AFP.

"There is no other mountain in Japan that attracts that many people in the span of just over two months. So some restrictions are necessary to ensure their safety."

Mount Fuji is covered in snow for most of the year, but during the summer hiking season many trudge up its steep, rocky slopes through the night to see the sunrise.

The symmetrical mountain has been immortalized in countless artworks, including Hokusai's "Great Wave". It last erupted around 300 years ago.