New Volkswagen Electric SUV and Golf EV Launch

author: FutureCar Staff    

The Volkswagen brand is gearing up for the future of electric mobility by preparing its network. In an announcement on Friday, Volkswagen stated that it will be manufacturing a new electric SUV at its main plant in Germany. Additionally, an electric version of the iconic Golf will be introduced on the new SSP platform.

Christian Vollmer, VW brand board member for production, emphasized that the transition to electromobility is an opportunity to simplify production operations and enhance plant efficiency. This was shared during a meeting held by Volkswagen to inform the supervisory board about its vehicle distribution plans through 2028.

During the meeting, Volkswagen disclosed that apart from the ID.3, its main plant in Wolfsburg will be introducing a second all-electric model. The company will commence production of a new compact electric SUV in significant quantities. Although no specific details were provided about the new EV, Volkswagen had previously unveiled the affordable ID 2all electric hatch concept earlier this year, priced under $27,000 (€25,000) with a WLTP range of approximately 450 km (280 miles).

The ID 2all will be one of the 10 new Volkswagen EV models set to launch by 2026. This year, Volkswagen has already released the new ID.3, the three-row ID.Buzz, and the flagship ID.7 sedan.

Following these releases, Volkswagen plans to introduce a compact electric SUV in 2026. Reports from earlier this year confirmed that Volkswagen intends to produce a new electric SUV, possibly named the ID.Tiguan, at Wolfsburg, similar in size and style to its popular Tiguan model.

During the meeting, Volkswagen also revealed its decision not to construct an additional plant in Wolfsburg. Instead, new electric models based on the scalable systems platform (SSP) architecture will be manufactured at VW's main plant. The iconic Golf, expected to launch at the end of the decade, will transition to the electric era on the SSP platform at the Wolfsburg plant.

As part of this realignment, Volkswagen announced that the Trinity vehicle project, which had been delayed due to software issues, will be moved to the Zwickau plant. This news comes after reports of production cuts at two German plants, including Zwickau, due to lower demand.

According to Automobilwoche, Volkswagen's Zwickau plant will shut down one of its two ID.3 production lines and reduce the number of temporary workers by nearly 300. In 2018, the automaker had invested $1.3 billion (1.2 billion euros) to prepare the facility for the electric future.

Thomas Schafer, CEO of the Volkswagen brand, expressed a sense of urgency during the meeting, acknowledging the complex challenges faced by the industry during this transformative period. Schafer also aims to achieve a record profitability of 6.5% for the VW brand, which currently stands at around 3.6%. Meanwhile, EV leaders like Tesla and China's BYD are increasing their presence in the market, with BYD surpassing VW as the best-selling passenger car brand in China for the first time this year and planning to expand its brand in Europe.

FutureCar Staff