Fit for electromobility: Volkswagen transforms its main plant in Wolfsburg

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After major jolts caused by course corrections following the replacement of Herbert Diess by Oliver Blume as Group CEO, Volkswagen announced that it intends to invest around 460 million euros in the main plant at the Group's headquarters in Wolfsburg as a first step by the beginning of 2025. Brand boss Thomas Schäfer explained during a works meeting that the investments are primarily intended to upgrade the plant for the production of the VW ID.3, which is to be built in Wolfsburg initially in partial production from 2023 and completely from 2024. It was not communicated whether the production currently running in Zwickau will later be completely withdrawn from there.

Once production of the VW ID.3 has ramped up by the end of 2025, an additional battery-electric SUV model based on the modular e-drive system (MEB, later also MEB+) is to follow, Schäfer said. The enhanced MEB+ platform is expected to enable higher charging speeds and longer ranges.

Plans for the VW ID.3

VW ID.3 Facelift: More quality promised, drastically increased price

Hope for progress

Volkswagen hopes to make progress in cell chemistry and battery design: The "highly standardized unit cell" from Volkswagen's battery factory in Salzgitter, which is scheduled to begin production in 2025, is expected to serve both of these goals. Commenting on the planned SUV model, Schäfer said it "can be an excellent complement to our best-sellers ID.4 and ID.5. In this way, we want to further expand our market position and offer customers vehicles of the high quality they are used to."

From 2033 only electric cars in Europe

Volkswagen plans to build only electric cars at all its European plants by the end of 2033 at the latest. In Wolfsburg, after the two electric models, the Trinity vehicle project is to be further developed with the future Group-wide vehicle platform SSP (Scalable Systems Platform). Volkswagen writes: "The start for the project will take place in accordance with the time-delayed software development."

Plans for plant in Warmenau

Whether production will actually come to Wolfsburg is still open and will probably depend on capacity utilization. In any case, Volkswagen announced today that it has not completely abandoned plans for a completely new plant in Warmenau. It was only in mid-November that Volkswagen postponed the planning round for investments over the next few years and, among other things, called the "Trinity" project into question. It had been decided not to pursue the construction of a new plant in Warmenau.

(fpi)