According to the chairman of the Volkswagen works council, Bernd Osterloh, the German multinational is in a position to surpass Tesla both in the volume of electric car production and terms of software development. Some statements that only demonstrate the enormous ambition of the company in the electric car sector.
“If Tesla establishes three factories with a production capacity of between 300,000 and 500,000 cars, then we would be talking about a number of units between 900,000 and 1.5 million. We want to achieve the same by 2023, probably even earlier,” said Osterloh, also citing the extremely flexible modular MEB platform’s huge competitive advantage.
The executive also highlights the engineering work to be carried out by the new Artemis division, which will be led by the CEO of Audi (Markus Duesmann) who will have the task of developing advanced technologies for the Volkswagen Group as a whole, being responsible for development of the company’s upcoming flagships (the Audi A9 e-Tron and the forthcoming Porsche Panamera and Bentley Mulsanne, all-electric).
Volkswagen will begin deliveries of the ID.3 this month, an ambitious compact electric car set to replace the e-Golf within the manufacturer’s lineup. This model will be the group’s first car to sit on the MEB modular platform and the first member of the new ID electric car range of the German brand.
The second model of the brand to use this architecture will be the Volkswagen ID.4, a family SUV destined for global markets that will see the light this month. However, his brother from Skoda, the Enyaq iV, has been presented just a few days ago, raising enormous expectations thanks to its good performance and attractive price.
The electrical strategy of the Volkswagen Group, in which all its brands will participate (from SEAT and Skoda to Bentley and Lamborghini, through CUPRA, Audi, Porsche … and even Bugatti when the time comes) will be based on three modular platforms: the already mentioned MEB, the MEB Entry for economic cut models, and the PPE for large, luxurious and performance cars.