Volkswagen is making the Wolfsburg site fit for the future: the brand will be making an initial investment of some €460 million in the main factory at the Group headquarters by the beginning of 2025. This was announced on Wednesday by CEO Thomas Schäfer during a works meeting in Wolfsburg. The investment is primarily earmarked for preparations to produce the new ID.3. The compact electric car will be leaving the assembly line in Wolfsburg from 2023 – initially in partial production, with full production slated from 2024. Ramp-up is due for completion by the end of 2025. The necessary training measures for the workforce are currently being prepared. Post-ID.3 ramp-up, a further all-electric model for the booming SUV segment is to boost Wolfsburg’s capacity utilization for EV production over the long term. The technical basis for the new model is the Modular Electric Drive System (MEB). Volkswagen’s e-car platform is to undergo substantial further development as the MEB+, thus becoming even more efficient.

This will be followed by a further pillar for the Wolfsburg site, the Trinity vehicle project. It will be based on the future Group-wide Scalable Systems Platform (SSP). By the end of 2033 at the latest, the Volkswagen brand will only build electric cars in Wolfsburg - as in all of its other factories in Europe.

Talking to employees Thomas Schäfer, CEO of the Volkswagen brand and Group Board Member for the Volume brand group, said: “Volkswagen stands for electromobility for everyone. And Wolfsburg will be part of this success story. Here at our main plant alone, we will be investing some €460 million by the beginning of 2025, getting the factory ready for the MEB. The ID.3 ramp-up is the first important step towards the electrification of our main plant. At the same time, we are working closely with the Works Council to bring a further electric model based on the MEB+ to Wolfsburg – this will be a high-volume model for the booming SUV segment. With these strong decisions and investments, we intend to bolster the competitiveness of this factory further and give the workforce a concrete long-term perspective.”

Turning his attention to the current year, Schäfer thanked employees for their great flexibility and team spirit in a very challenging economic environment.

Works Council Chairwoman Daniela Cavallo said: “Wolfsburg stands for the future. And the Works Council has a clear ambition for the Wolfsburg site: state-of-the-art production, the best workforce, and the biggest pioneering spirit. That means Wolfsburg will remain the brand’s – and the Group’s – powerhouse in the coming years with the transformation to electric production, an additional all-electric model by 2026, along with Trinity and the SSP. We will develop the detailed timetable together. That is how we are creating secure jobs. I would also like to thank the entire production team at our main factory that has weathered many a crisis in this difficult year.”

The first step towards the factory’s electric future involves re-equipping the site for the ID.3. This electric model will begin leaving the assembly line in Wolfsburg from 2023 – in addition to current production in Zwickau. For the largest factory in the entire Volkswagen Group, this is the first all-electric vehicle based on the MEB.

Brand CEO Thomas Schäfer indicated there are plans to produce a further model based on the MEB at the main factory in the future. This model would be an all-electric SUV. “That is the largest vehicle segment worldwide, it is home to our popular Tiguan. The new model would ideally complement our bestselling ID.4 and ID.5. This is how we intend to expand our market position further and give our customers the high-quality vehicles they expect from us,” Schäfer said.

Volkswagen will use the MEB+, the further development of the successful MEB e-car platform, for the e-SUV. Schäfer: “The MEB still has significant potential. Our ambition is to take this platform to the next level. To that end, we are making substantial investments in advancing this technology. The MEB+ puts us in an excellent position for the coming years.” Back in 2020, analysts conducted an in-depth study of Volkswagen’s electric platform, and concluded that it is the “most impressive solution available from an established motor company” on the market for electric vehicles.

Customers will benefit from the MEB+ in many respects. The platform will enable faster charging speeds and longer ranges. Volkswagen plans to use the highly-standardized unified cell manufactured at the Group’s own cell factory in Salzgitter (start of production in 2025) in the system.

With “Accelerate” Volkswagen launched a strong brand strategy for the electric and digital era of mobility. The “Energize” program gives this strategy a further boost as it progresses. This initiative is designed to make the Volkswagen brand shine. The lodestar of the strategy remains the Trinity vehicle project based on the highly-scalable SSP platform. The project will get underway in line with staggered software development. A decision on where the vehicle will be built in Wolfsburg has not yet been taken. That is why Volkswagen is keeping the option to build a new factory in Warmenau open.

Article source: www.volkswagen-newsroom.com

Volkswagen has put together a series of exclusive equipment packages for its new MOVE special-edition models. True to the slogan “Simply get more”, they come with a whole host of attractive additional model-dependent features: from background lighting and newly designed seat covers made from sustainable materials to the model-specific Zurich alloy wheels. Depending on vehicle, customers benefit from savings of up to €2,600 compared with the recommended retail price for a model with an equivalent equipment level.

“The new MOVE special-edition models represent an attractive option for all customer groups,” explains Imelda Labbé, member of the Board of Management for Sales, Marketing and After Sales. Polo, Taigo, T-Cross, T-Roc, T-Roc Cabriolet, Golf, Golf Estate, Touran, Tiguan, Tiguan Allspace: an exclusive specification package is now available for these models. Highlights include the special colour Ivory Silver Metallic and the model-specific Zurich alloy wheels. Customers can also look forward to darkened rear windows, as well as sill panel mouldings and badges with the MOVE lettering.

The extensive standard equipment of the special-edition models also includes a multifunction leather steering wheel, the Ready 2 Discover infotainment and navigation system including Streaming & Internet, the Air Care Climatronic automatic air conditioner, and the Light & Sight Package with automatic lighting control and rain sensor. The interior features stylish touches such as background lighting and newly designed seat covers with coloured stitching and expressive embossing. In addition, sustainable materials are used in all models. For example, the outer fabric of the seats, head restraints, headliner and textile floor mats is made from up to 100 percent recycled materials and, depending on the model, from up to 100 recycled PET bottles.

All MOVE special-edition models can be combined with different engine and gearbox versions and are now available for order. The special-edition models can be optionally supplemented with a “Plus” package (including Digital Cockpit Pro, LED Plus/matrix headlights). Depending on model, customers benefit from savings of up to €2,600.

 Article source: www.volkswagen-newsroom.com

Volkswagen will be unveiling the new ID.3 to the public this coming spring. The second-generation ID.3 is set to be the latest chapter in the ID. family success story: To date, more than half a million ID. models – built on the basis of the modular electric drive matrix (MEB) – have been delivered to customers around the world. Currently, the ID.3 is produced at the Zwickau and Dresden plants in Germany. However, the production network will be expanded next year to include the main Volkswagen factory in Wolfsburg. This is in order to meet high levels of customer demand for the fully electric compact car.

“The new ID.3 demonstrates our commitment to quality, design and sustainability. The design has matured, and we’ve upgraded the materials used in the interior”, says Imelda Labbé, Volkswagen Board Member for Sales, Marketing and After Sales. In coming up with the revamped version, the development team took on board a range of suggestions from customers in order to improve the product and enhance the standard equipment package: “The needs of our customers are always front and centre for us. That’s why we listen carefully and focus on gearing our product portfolio to their requirements”, Labbé adds.

The new ID.3 is equipped with the latest software generation, which improves system performance and is able to receive over-the-air updates. In addition, the standard equipment package has had an upgrade: it now includes a display with a diagonal measurement of 12 inches (30.5 centimetres), a removable luggage compartment floor and a centre console with two cup holders.

Functions such as Plug & Charge and the intelligent Electric Vehicle Route Planner make the charging experience in the new ID.3 even more straightforward and convenient. VW is using the latest generation of fully integrated assist systems in the ID.3. Stand-out examples of this are the optionally available Travel Assist with Swarm Data and the Park Assist Plus with Memory Function.

“Part of our mission at Volkswagen is to offer state-of-the-art technologies and innovations across all models, including compact vehicles, and the ID.3 exemplifies this – for example when it comes to new convenience and assist systems:we are taking the next step forward on the way to highly automated driving with the use of swarm data in the latest Travel Assist”, explains Kai Grünitz, Member of the Volkswagen Brand Board of Management responsible for Development.

German customers can order the pre-configured Life, Business, Style, Max and Tour models from December 1st. The starting price of the ID.3 Life is €43,995 (including VAT and before subtracting the environmental bonus, where applicable). Due to the high order volume, customers who place their order now are expected to receive their new ID.3 from the fourth quarter of 2023 onwards*.

*Due to the current supply situation for semiconductors and the existing order backlog, Volkswagen estimates that the ID.3 Pro models Life, Business, Style, Max and the ID.3 Pro S model Tour will not be delivered to customers before the fourth quarter of 2023. Based on current planning, production of the enhanced version of the ID.3 will have begun by this time. This means that the vehicle delivered will not be that shown by the configurator or on the contract at the time the customer places their order; instead, customers will receive the enhanced ID.3 model. The vehicle may differ from the order scope, but any such differences will be to the customer’s benefit – with the following exceptions: ID. steering wheels were previously trimmed with leather; this will be replaced by a high-quality leather substitute. Due to the enhancement of the design as described above, the WLTP consumption and range figures for the vehicles may differ from the currently stated figures by up to 2 percent.

Article source: www.volkswagen-newsroom.com

Volkswagen is on track with the electrification of its vehicle fleet. One year earlier than planned the company has reached a further milestone in the implementation of its ACCELERATE strategy to become an emission-free, software-driven mobility provider: Since the first ID.3 models were handed over to customers in September 2020, Volkswagen has delivered 500,000 vehicles from the ID. family worldwide – despite the persistently strained supply situation.

Electric mobility campaign is a success story for Volkswagen

Delivery of half a million ID.s confirms that the Volkswagen models are being well-received by our customers – all over the world. We are on the right track with our electric mobility campaign and our success story continues,” Imelda Labbé, Board Member for Sales, Marketing and After Sales at Volkswagen, said. “Our focus is unchanged – we want to make Volkswagen the most desirable brand for sustainable mobility.” The order bank at Volkswagen remains high: “We are doing our utmost to deliver the roughly 135,000 ID.s on order to our customers as quickly as possible. However, due to the persistently strained situation as regards the supply of parts we are repeatedly having to adjust production,” Labbé commented.

Volkswagen will only produce electric vehicles in Europe from 2033. By 2030, all-electric vehicles are already to account for at least 70 percent of Volkswagen’s unit sales in Europe. In the USA and China, the company is targeting an electric vehicle share of more than 50 percent for the same period. “Norway is the forerunner in electric mobility. The ID.4 topped the registration statistics there in October. This example shows that the ID. family product portfolio matches the needs of our customers,” Labbé stated.

Volkswagen is to launch ten new electric models by 2026. “Volkswagen will have the broadest portfolio of electric vehicles in the automotive industry: From the entry-level e-car with a target price of under €25,000 to the new flagship Aero B we will have the right offer in every segment,” Labbé said.

Customer feedback transformed direct into new vehicle functions

The ID. family is also a trailblazer in terms of software integration and digital customer experience: Volkswagen constantly provides ID. owners with “over the air” updates. This ensures that the car is always up to date across the entire life cycle, and that it is constantly being improved by new functions. “Our experience with this in recent months has been very positive,” Labbé reports: “The benefit is that we can transform customer feedback directly and swiftly into new functions, such as increased charging capacity or a battery capacity notification, in the driver display.”

MEB is the backbone of the electric mobility campaign

The modular electric drive matrix (MEB) is a decisive factor in the accelerated boost to the global electric mobility campaign under the brand’s ACCELERATE strategy. Designed especially for Volkswagen’s electric drive system, this vehicle architecture offers long ranges, plenty of interior space and the possibility for over-the-air software updates. The MEB serves as the technical basis for all the fully-electric and fully-networked vehicles in the ID. family.

With its consistent focus on all-electric drives and its ability to be used in vehicles from a range of segments throughout the entire Volkswagen Group, the MEB generates huge economies of scale, reduces the costs of electric mobility and expedites the transition towards carbon-neutral mobility. Thanks to its “design for manufacturing”, the MEB is also specifically tailored for fast and efficient production. This enables the generation of extensive economies of scale, which make electric vehicles less expensive and thus more affordable for a great number of people.

Article source: www.volkswagen-newsroom.com