Volkswagen Group was among the first global automakers to go all-in on electrification, following the global diesel emissions scandal that emerged in 2015.
The first fruits of those bets are now on sale in markets around the globe, as vehicles such as the Audi E-tron, Porsche Taycan and Volkswagen ID3 and ID4 make their ways in growing numbers into consumer hands. Following close behind those initial efforts are scores of future models, built on shared group platforms with common components to keep costs in check, all while giving individual brands room to differentiate themselves with styling and capabilities.
By 2030, VW expects half of its global sales to consist of EVs, and 100 percent by 2040. In North America, the automaker has committed about $7 billion worth of investments to EV-building capacity through 2027 and plans 25 EVs for the U.S. by 2030.
The speed at which each of VW’s brands will make the full transition from combustion powertrains to exclusively battery-electric propulsion varies slightly depending on the brand.
The key to VW Group’s overarching plans are its platforms. CEO Herbert Diess had said all group EVs would eventually transition onto a single flexible platform capable of underlying vehicles as small as the VW Golf to ones as large as the VW Atlas and Audi Q7.
However, Diess seemed to slightly amend that strategy in March when he revealed plans to resurrect the Scout name in the U.S. for an SUV and a pickup, to be built on a new rugged SUV platform. Since then, brand-level executives have indicated that platform might also be used for new vehicles in the group’s existing brands.