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VW Moves Forward with Plans to Share EV Platform
Volkswagen AG is in advanced talks about providing its MEB (modular electric toolkit) platform with competitors.
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Volkswagen AG is in advanced talks about providing its MEB (modular electric toolkit) platform with competitors.
Potential partnerships are focused on high-volume segments, Michael Jost, head of strategy for the VW brand, tells Tagesspiegel. He describes such collaborations as a “paradigm shift” for VW.
Earlier this month, VW and Ford Motor Co. agreed to partner on designing and building commercial vans and midsize pickup trucks. The companies also confirmed they are evaluating how to work together on electric vehicles and autonomous driving technologies as part of a broad collaboration.
VW plans to use the MEB platform (pictured) across its brands to carry 27 EV models by 2023. The group targets annual sales of 1 million EVs by 2025. The rollout will start late this year with the ID compact hatchback in Europe.
The carmaker will build EVs at eight plants in China, Czech Republic Germany and the U.S. This includes an $800 million factory in Chattanooga, Tenn., scheduled to open next year.
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