VW announced its new strategic plan as the Dieselgate saga continues to unfold, including a reorientation of their diesel strategy, the development of a modular electric platform and the launch of an all-electric Phaeton.
More specifically, the German giant announced the switch over to installing only diesel powertrains which are equipped with SCR and AdBlue technologies for the European and North American markets ‘as soon as possible’, with the promise of equipping their models with the ‘best environmental technology’.
Volkswagen also announced that it will reduce its investment spending by €1 billion per year (about $1.14 billion), re-prioritizing its future projects without giving any further details which projects will be cancelled or delayed.
Their new plan involves focusing now on plug-in hybrids with even greater range, high-volume pure electric vehicles with a range of up to 300km (186 miles) and even mild hybrid models equipped with a 48-volt power supply system.
For that reason VW announced further development of their core MQB modular architecture and the development of an all-new MEB modular architecture destined exclusively for passenger and light commercial vehicles with electric powertrains. The new MEB platform will be a standardized ‘multi-brand toolkit’ available for all body structures and vehicle types, which will allow for more emotional concepts while offering an all-electric range from 250 to 500km (155 to 310 miles).
The first all-electric VW model based on the new platform will be the next Phaeton which will be the brand’s ambassador in their new era, offering a pure electric drive with a long driving range and the latest in connectivity and assistance systems wrapped in an ‘emotional design’.
“The Volkswagen brand is re-positioning itself for the future,” said Herbert Diess, VW Brand Board of Management CEO. “We are becoming more efficient, we are giving our product range and our core technologies a new focus, and we are creating room for forward-looking technologies by speeding up the efficiency program.”
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