Volkswagen AG chief executive officer Oliver Blume reportedly is reconsidering plans for a new assembly plant near its Wolfsburg, Germany, complex, conceived to build its new battery-electric passenger vehicle. Construction for the estimated $2-billion Trinity plant had been due to start in 2023, in advance of the start of production for its new EV in 2025.
"We are taking the opportunity to look at all projects and investments and check their viability," Oliver Blume said in a letter to VW staff, according to reports from Germany. He also announced that the automaker is evaluating its plans for EV software and manufacturing platform, and would then determine projects for each brand, though he noted that no firm decisions were forthcoming.
One report indicated that Blume is also considering delaying the start of production for the new EV model until 2030, though VW has denied that claim.
VW currently has about 25% of the European EV market thanks to its ID.3 model, though that is produced at plants in Germany and Spain that also assemble internal-combustion engine sedans.
The Trinity plant had been conceived to optimize EV production, with a reported 20-30% of all work steps to be automated. VW produced 425,000 EVs in 2021. Its production targets for the Trinity plant have not been reported.
