Volkswagen details massive $140 billion EV transformation plan

spot_imgspot_img

aria-label="9 vw id buzz"

Wave of new Volkswagen Group EVs will include an ID Buzz camper van and German-built Bentley EV.

The Volkswagen Group will invest €89 billion (AUD$140 billion) in new technology within the next four years, as part of a push to make a quarter of all sales battery electric vehicles by the end of 2026.

The German company has also announced plans to electrify more of its European factories, centring much of its flagship electric vehicle production in its Wolfsburg and Hanover factories in Germany’s Lower Saxony region.

The company has already announced that Volkswagen’s flagship Project Trinity model will be built on a new production line at Wolfsburg from 2026 onwards, and it has now revealed it will re-tool a production line at the site to start producing the Volkswagen ID 3 electric hatch from 2023 onwards.

aria-label="Volkswagen Life Review Hero e1632957260551"

The ID 3 is currently built at VW’s Zwickau plant, and the move will allow the group to increase output of its electric hatches beyond current production limits.

The VW Group is already planning a second electric manufacturing facility to open at Wolfsburg from 2030 onwards.

Meanwhile, the production car from Audi’s Artemis project – which will include both the forthcoming A8 successor previewed by the Grand Sphere concept and a future Bentley model – will be built at the Hanover plant.

While no details have been given, it is likely the platform and powertrains for the first full electric Bentley will be built at the site, with those shipped to the British brand’s Crewe factory for the body and fittings to be added.

aria-label="id buzz 0"

The VW Group will start building the ID Buzz in passenger and cargo form in the Hanover plant next year, and it has also confirmed that a new ID California camper version will be built alongside them.

Elsewhere, the company will build two new Porsche models on the pure-electric PPE architecture at its Leipzig facility, with the Neckersulm plant becoming home to Audi’s E6 model family. From 2026 onwards, the new Audi Q8 E-tron will be built in Brussels.

VW’s Salzgitter plant will become home to the firm’s European battery hub where the firm’s planned unified battery cell will be built from 2025 onwards. The Hanover plant will be used to build axles for MEB models, while the Braunschwig, Salzgitter and Kassel facilities will be used to produce battery systems, rotors and electric motors for MEB models, while also preparing plants for the next-gen SSP platform that will be by the Artemis models.

James Attwood

Toyota 222D – the Group S Rally Car

This 560kW rallying MR2 could have seen Toyota conquer the stages, but instead fate intervened
spot_img

Further Reading

2024 Lexus LBX review: Small SUV, premium appeal!

Entering below the aging UX, the compact Lexus LBX breaks new ground for Toyota's luxury arm In brief There really is nothing quite like the Lexus...