New Electric SUV and Golf EV Launch

author: FutureCar Staff    

The Volkswagen brand is preparing its network for the future of electric mobility. Volkswagen announced on Friday that it will produce a new electric SUV at its main plant in Germany. This move is part of their strategy to reduce production complexity and increase plant efficiency, according to Christian Vollmer, VW brand board member for production.

During a meeting with the supervisory board, Volkswagen shared its vehicle distribution plans through 2028. In addition to the ID.3, the company's main plant in Wolfsburg will introduce a second all-electric model. This new model will be a compact electric SUV, although no specific details were provided. Earlier this year, Volkswagen introduced the affordable ID 2all electric hatch concept, which starts at under $27,000 and has a range of around 450 km.

The ID 2all is just one of the 10 new Volkswagen EV models that will be launched by 2026. The ID.3, ID.Buzz, and ID.7 have already hit the market this year. Next in line will be a compact electric SUV in 2026, similar in size and style to the popular Tiguan, which will also be produced at the Wolfsburg plant.

Furthermore, Volkswagen revealed during the meeting that instead of building an additional plant in Wolfsburg, new electric models based on the scalable systems platform (SSP) architecture will be manufactured at the main plant. This includes the iconic Golf, which is expected to be launched at the end of the decade.

In light of these plans, Volkswagen has decided to assign the Trinity vehicle project, which was delayed due to software issues, to its Zwickau plant. This decision comes after reports of production cuts at two German plants, including Zwickau, due to low demand. The Zwickau plant will shut down one of its ID.3 production lines and reduce the number of temporary workers.

Volkswagen is feeling the urgency to keep up with the competition. Thomas Schafer, CEO of the Volkswagen brand, acknowledged the complex challenges the industry is facing during this transformation. He aims for the VW brand to achieve a record profitability of 6.5%, as it currently stands at around 3.6%. With EV leaders like Tesla and BYD gaining market share, Volkswagen needs to stay competitive and expand its brand in Europe.

FutureCar Staff