Volkswagen also wants to build MEB electric cars in Wolfsburg

Volkswagen is making Wolfsburg fit for the future: in a first step, the brand plans to invest around 460 million euros in the main plant at the Group's headquarters by the beginning of 2025.  

 The ID3 will come off the production line in 2023,  but full production is planned for 2024. The ramp-up is to be completed by the end of 2025. The necessary qualification measures for the workforce are now to be prepared.

After the ramp-up of the ID.3 production, an additional all-electric model in the booming SUV segment should sustainably increase the E-utilisation in Wolfsburg. The technical basis for the new model is the modular e-drive system (MEB). Volkswagen's electric platform will be substantially further developed in future as MEB+ and is thus set to become even more powerful.

The Trinity vehicle project will be added at a later date as a further cornerstone for the Wolfsburg site. According to Volkswagen, this will be based on the future Group-wide vehicle platform SSP (Scalable Systems Platform). By the end of 2033 at the latest, the Volkswagen brand will build exclusively electric cars in Wolfsburg, as in all its other European plants.

"Volkswagen stands for electric mobility for everyone. And Wolfsburg will be part of this success story. Here at the main plant alone, we are investing around 460 million euros by the beginning of 2025, making it ready for the MEB. The ID.3 start-up is the first important step towards the electrification of our main plant," Thomas Schäfer, CEO of the Volkswagen brand and Group Board Member for the Volume brand group, told employees at the plant. "At the same time, we are working intensively with the works council to bring another e-model based on the MEB+ to Wolfsburg - and a high-volume one in the booming SUV segment. With these strong decisions and investments, we want to further strengthen the competitiveness of the plant and offer the workforce a concrete long-term perspective."

Looking ahead to the current year, Schäfer thanked the employees for their high level of flexibility and cohesion in a very challenging economic environment. Works council chairperson Daniela Cavallo said: "Wolfsburg stands for the future". She added that the works council associated this with a clear claim for the Wolfsburg location: "the most modern production, the best personnel and the greatest pioneering spirit.  

A first step towards the plant's electric future is the fit-out for the ID.3. From 2023, the electric car will also roll off the production line in Wolfsburg - in addition to the current production in Zwickau. It will be the first fully electric MEB-based vehicle for the Volkswagen Group's largest location.