Volkswagen is postponing the launch of its all-electric Trinity sedan until the 1930s. The series should actually have gone on sale in 2026. But demand for electric vehicles is currently low and costs urgently need to be reduced. In view of the billion-dollar austerity programs, the original deadline had not been achievable for a long time. After the new postponement, many observers are asking themselves whether the project will not soon be postponed until the next day. After all, under CEO Oliver Blume, the new construction of the “Campus Sandkamp” development center for around 800 million euros has already fallen victim to the red pen. The development of the new software platform for Trinity should also have taken place there. Blume is thus continuing to decisively do away with the legacy of his predecessor Herbert Diess. The former BMW manager once took on the role of leading Europe’s largest car manufacturer into a bright, electric future after the dark days of the diesel scandal. Diess went “all in” and consistently aligned the group along the major trends of electromobility, digitalization and autonomous driving. But breakthroughs in autonomous driving are much more difficult and expensive than expected.VW needs help. The supplier Continental can also sing a song about it. Fast-moving digitalization, on the other hand, cannot be achieved alone, even for a company the size of Volkswagen. Blume has therefore sought partners in the USA and China with Rivian and Xpeng, thereby also reacting to a changed geopolitical environment. There are also question marks behind the future of Cariad, the company’s own software company founded by Diess.More on the topicUnder Blume’s leadership, the Volkswagen Group has long since prepared for a future in which combustion engines will continue to play an important role for much longer than they used to once thought. The luxury brand Porsche, which Blume also leads in his dual role, which has been sharply criticized not only by shareholder representatives, will have the important SUV model Cayenne with both drives in its range for a long time. The legacy of the Diess era at Volkswagen has largely faded.
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