According to a report by the German newspaper Handelsblatt quoted by Automotive News Europe.
Production of the e-Golf, which shared a platform with the petrol and diesel versions of the compact sedan, ended in December 2020 to make way for the ID family of electric models based on the EV platform. dedicated VW MEB. But VW is now considering a new Golf EV, as well as an electric version of the Tiguan crossover, while expecting the Trinity project to be delayed until 2030, according to the report.
Teaser for Volkswagen Project Trinity expected in 2026
The new electric Golf or Tiguan would use the MEB platform and could go on sale before 2026, according to the report. Production would be handled by the VW plant in Wolfsburg, Germany. VW originally planned a $2.06 billion addition to the site for the Trinity EV project, but that model’s launch schedule is now being reassessed by VW CEO Oliver Blume, the report said.
VW started teasing its flagship Project Trinity earlier in 2021, and it said it was due in 2026. He said technology and platform were central to the new project, and he was developed from the inside out. Former CEO Herbert Diess also said the project would rival (and surpass) Tesla, although Diess has made versions of these claims since 2017, stating “anything Tesla can do, we can surpass it.”
Blume, who replaced Diess as CEO in September, appears to be taking a more cautious approach. He wants to push the launch of the Trinity project to the end of the decade because some software won’t be ready in time for the original target date of 2026, according to the report.
2018 Volkswagen e-Golf electric cars on the assembly line at
If that happens, the gap in product launches could be filled with an electric vehicle more in line with the affordability angle that VW has been emphasizing with its ID models.
In the United States, the e-Golf was a popular model when it was launched in late 2014 and served as director for the ID.4 crossing. VW has just marked the worldwide delivery of 500,000 of its ID electric vehiclesdespite supply problems.
In reconstructed form, an e-Golf would almost certainly offer more range, as would the Fiat 500e expected to do so when it returns to the US in 2024. Increased range would certainly be possible with the MEB platform, which allows for a range of up to 275 miles for the ID.4, compared to 125 miles for the old e-Golf.