Amortizing investment costs, Volkswagen delays launch of pure electric flagship Trinity
2024-08-15
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Volkswagen Group has postponed the launch of its all-electric flagship model Trinity from 2026 to the end of 2032. This is part of Blume's reorganization of its product schedule, with the aim of allowing existing electric vehicle platforms to be used longer to better amortize investment costs. Currently, the Volkswagen ID series uses the MEB platform, while the Porsche all-electric Macan and Audi Q6 e-tron share the PPE platform.
Recently, German newspaper Handelsblatt quoted a source from Volkswagen Group as saying that Volkswagen Group will postpone the launch of its all-electric flagship model Trinity from 2026 to the end of 2032, and may launch the all-electric version of Golf ahead of schedule. According to the plan, Trinity will be equipped with advanced L4 autonomous driving functions, directly competing with Tesla.
It is reported that this is part of the Volkswagen Group CEO Oliver Blume's product restructuring schedule, with the aim of allowing the existing electric vehicle platform to be used for a longer period of time, thereby better amortizing the investment cost. Currently, the Volkswagen ID series uses the MEB platform, and the Porsche pure electric Macan and Audi Q6 e-tron share the PPE platform.
According to Business Daily, Volkswagen's MEB platform will be upgraded to MEB+ in 2026; with the help of its new partner Rivian, Volkswagen's PPE platform will undergo software upgrades within the next 36 months. Sources said that the delay in the launch of Trinity is also a response to the slowdown in the electric vehicle market and Volkswagen's cost-cutting measures.
According to the plan, the all-electric Golf, codenamed ID Golf, will be launched in 2029 at the latest. This is the first model of the Volkswagen brand built on the new software-dominated scalable system platform (SSP). In addition, the all-electric Audi A4 built on the SSP platform will be launched at the end of 2028; the Volkswagen ID.4 replacement model will be launched in 2030, instead of the previously planned 2028; the release time of the Volkswagen T-Sport all-electric crossover will also be postponed from 2029 to 2031.
It is worth mentioning that the delay in the launch of electric vehicles by Volkswagen Group was also affected by the software subsidiary Cariad. In order to solve the software problem, Volkswagen has successively cooperated with new car-making forces Rivian and Xiaopeng Motors.
Trinity is one of several projects created under the leadership of Herbert Diess, the former CEO of Volkswagen Group. Blume reshaped these projects in order to streamline Volkswagen Group's huge production system as it promotes its transformation to electrification. (China Economic Net Jiang Zhiwen/Translation)
Source: China Economic Net
