Volkswagen is creating a new division specifically to work on the development of electric and autonomous cars.
Dubbed “New Mobility,” the department will take responsibility for current ID-badged vehicles and future EVs that will be based on the VW Group’s new SSP scalable electric car architecture.
The spinoff division will also take charge of VW’s Trinity project, Automotive News Europe reports. The project is creating a new generation of electric cars topped by a flagship sedan that will be available in 2026 with Level 4 autonomy. That’s one rung below Level 5, which is where “drivers” climb into a car, tell it where they want to go, and the car does the rest, but Level 4 will allow hands-free driving in most situations.
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Volkswagen’s Trinity electric sedan will offer Level 4 autonomy
The new department will be led by Thomas Ulbrich, a 56-year-old, 30-year Volkswagen veteran who is currently the company’s head of development. Auto News reports that Ulbrich gained a big fan base among Volkswagen execs after he pulled the ID.3 electric hatchback from a mire of software glitches.
Ulbrich’s appointment will also land him a seat on the supervisory board of Volkswagen’s software unit, Cariad, the idea being that he will improve links between Cariad and VW’s development department, which will now be headed by Kai Gruenitz. Gruentiz previously held the equivalent role at Volkswagen’s commercial vehicles division where one of his responsibilities was the ID. Buzz electric minivan.
Ulbrich could be in for a bumpy ride, based on Cariad’s past performance, reports suggest. The division has been accused of blowing budgets and delaying the launches of crucial Audi, Bentley and Porsche models because its software was not ready.