Volkswagen to revive Harlequin finish in the U.K.

Can't decide what colour you'd like your next car to be? You'll want to sit up for this one.

Volkswagen has announced that it is bringing back its Harlequin finish - a paint combination made famous in the 1990s with the Polo - although this time, the finish is set to appear on a special Electroluminescent ID.3 Harlequin Edition.

The Polo Harlequin sported a mixture of green, yellow, red and blue panels - reminiscent of the multi-coloured, sometimes foolish harlequin comedy theatre characters from days of olde - and customers remained in the dark as to their cars' precise colour combinations until they collected them.

This time, the mischievous paint design is set to return in the U.K. with a twist: The car will have an electroluminescent finish similar to the ID.7 concept (read up about the production ID.7 here) that Volkswagen unveiled early in 2023. The ID.3 Harlequin's panels will additionally light up and pulse in response to beats from the car's sound system and integrate with the new ChatGPT functionality being rolled out across the Volkswagen range.

The limited edition ID.3 Harlequin will be available in the U.K. from 1 April 2024, and designs can be viewed on Volkswagen U.K.'s online configurator here using the code 'JEST 1'.