Volkswagen will not launch the electric Golf until the end of the decade, CEO Thomas Schäfer has confirmed.
Sources previously told Autocar that the EV, which is expected to be called ID Golf, would be launched in 2028.
However, Schäfer told the FT’s Future of the Car event in London this morning: “We have a fantastic line-up now that we do not need an electric Golf in 2028. We are well set with what we have in our portfolio with our vehicles."
Volkswagen's existing EV line-up will be joined this year by a new range of electric models that include the new ID Polo, updated ID 3 Neo and incoming ID Cross. Schäfer's comments suggest the Golf EV’s later-than-expected launch is partly tactical to give these new arrivals some market exposure before the first electric version of its most popular and well-known model is launched.
However, another reason, he hinted, was a further delay to the SSP platform that will underpin the Golf EV. The new architecture will form the basis of the next-generation of Volkswagen Group vehicles and Volkswagen Group CEO Oliver Blume previously claimed it would bring price parity between ICE and EV models.
The platform will also feature 800V electricals, more advanced battery technology and a new software architecture developed in collaboration with Rivian. It was originally pencilled in to arrive this year, but it has been delayed by development issues and now the first vehicles to use it won't be launched until 2028.
Autocar previously reported that the Golf EV was to be one of these cars. However, Schäfer confirmed that the first VW Group vehicles to use the platform will be from its Audi and Porsche premium brands.
He said: “SSP, we will roll it out across the [VW Group] brands. We will start with the premium brands first... It will start with Audi, then Porsche, then us [VW] and on and on.”
Speaking about why the platform has taken so long to arrive, he said: “It sounds like we take so long, but for us we are looking at scale and you have to have scale in this game or you'll never make margin parity.”
Schäfer added that “increased competition”, especially from new Chinese brands, has forced a rethink of EV pricing, meaning the group had to “redo the maths” regarding platform costs in terms of materials and investment.
The news comes just a few months after the first official image of the ninth-generation Volkswagen Golf was released, as well as the confirmation that the EV will be built at the car maker’s Wolfsburg factory in Germany. Production of the combustion-powered car, which will be heavily updated at the same time as the EV arrives, will move to Mexico.
