Oliver Blume
A few months after taking office, Volkswagen boss Oliver Blume is faced with tough decisions. Because the development of the future flagship model Trinity is hanging, he has to postpone the market launch planned for 2026 for years, as the Handelsblatt has learned from corporate circles. The delay is two to three years. “Maybe it will drag on until 2030,” said a person familiar with the topic. First, the “Manager-Magazine” reported on the problems.
The Trinity electric vehicle is of central importance for the orientation of the core Volkswagen brand. The vehicle was to be redesigned from scratch and as such be able to steer largely autonomously through traffic. When it comes to developing the necessary software, however, the group is not moving fast enough. But the schedule for the internally so-called software “2.0” is being pushed back, the person said. The focus will be on the “1.2” developed in parallel, which is required for the models currently about to be launched.
In a message to the employees, CEO Blume and VW brand boss Thomas Schäfer at least confirmed the considerations. “We are currently taking the opportunity to look at all projects and investments and to check their viability.” First of all, a decision will be made about the further software timetable. “This is followed by the development of the product strategy with the specific projects of the individual brands for the next few years,” says the letter, which is available to the Handelsblatt.
Blume’s predecessor Herbert Diess wanted to create a challenger for the models of the US manufacturer Tesla with the Trinity. The Californians build their electric cars in Grünheide near Berlin in a completely new plant – and faster than Volkswagen.
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New model for VW
The stalemate with the software and the VW model has far-reaching consequences: A factory in Warmenau planned specifically for the Trinity is no longer needed. With the delay, the main plant in Wolfsburg could first be converted and the Trinity could roll off the assembly line there after its development was completed, according to company circles.
The decision on the end of Warmenau would be made by the board of directors and the supervisory board in the coming weeks, it said. In the employee letter, Blume and Schäfer emphasized that they had a firm eye on job security.
To do this, it is important that the core brand gets a replacement model for the postponed Trinity. That’s why the board wants to reactivate earlier plans that had disappeared into the drawer under Herbert Diess. According to them, the currently used platform for electric cars, called MEB internally, can be refreshed to develop at least one new model. Either there will be an electrified successor to the Golf or the higher Tiguan, it said.
The new car could go on sale before 2026. In this way, the plant in Wolfsburg can continue to be utilized until the Trinity can go into production in a few years.
More: VW plans electric cars for less than 25,000 euros