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

Greece Experiences Weather 'Rollercoaster'

A person holds a kite amid fog at Palaio Faliro suburb in Athens, Greece, March 15, 2025. (Reuters)
A person holds a kite amid fog at Palaio Faliro suburb in Athens, Greece, March 15, 2025. (Reuters)
TT
20
TT

Greece Experiences Weather 'Rollercoaster'

A person holds a kite amid fog at Palaio Faliro suburb in Athens, Greece, March 15, 2025. (Reuters)
A person holds a kite amid fog at Palaio Faliro suburb in Athens, Greece, March 15, 2025. (Reuters)

Greece is riding a weather "rollercoaster", with weekend temperatures spiking to a record high for March just ahead of a forecast bout of snow and frost, meteorologists said on Sunday.

The mercury soared to 31.4 degrees Celsius (88.5 degrees Fahrenheit) on Saturday in the central town of Livadia -- the highest-ever recorded for March, according to National Observatory of Athens’ Meteo.gr.

Across the country, other weather stations registered temperatures more typical of balmy May than the closing days of winter.

"The very high maximum temperatures recorded during the last four days (from Wednesday to Saturday) in the country, were record highs for the month of March in many areas," Meteo.gr said.

Following a surge of wildfires, a nationwide ban on burning material on rural properties is in effect until March 18.

"To have such temperatures so early in March, this has never happened before!" meteorologist Panagiotis Giannopoulos told ERT television.

The unusual spike was attributed to a blanket of Saharan dust in the air.

This winter is listed as the 13th warmest in Greece. The previous one, in 2023-2024, remains the warmest on record.

Inhabitants in Greece will have to brace for plunging temperatures from Tuesday, though, weather-watchers said.

"A cold air mass on Tuesday will give showers and snow all over the country," Giannopoulos said.

"In Athens, where today we have 27 degrees the maximum temperature will be 11 degrees. This is a rollercoaster," he added.

The abrupt change is particularly problematic for the agricultural sector.

In Greece's region of northern Macedonia -- which experienced 27 degrees on the weekend -- the expected frost is set to cause severe damage to fruit trees that are in full bloom.

Greece has become a climate-change hotspot. It had its hottest summer and warmest winter on record in 2024, according to data from the Meteo.gr network.

The year brought unprecedented temperatures, extreme rainfall and a notable frequency of impactful weather events.

Thirty-one significant weather incidents disrupted daily life in 2023, well above the 2000-2024 average, while nine weather-related deaths were registered.