BERLIN — Volkswagen will determine by late January or early February whether or not it wants a brand new manufacturing unit to construct its Trinity self-driving flagship automobiles, model chief Thomas Schaefer mentioned.
The Trinity mannequin is 1.5 to 2 years not on time, Schaefer mentioned, chatting with Wolfsburger Allgemeine Zeitung and Wolfsburger Nachrichten.
The mannequin was delayed partly as a result of it was taking longer than anticipated to develop hands-free autonomous driving expertise and get regulatory approval.
By the point it’s prepared, manufacturing of some combustion engine automobiles could have already resulted in the principle Wolfsburg plant, creating house to construct the Trinity there as a substitute of investing in a brand new manufacturing unit, Schaefer mentioned.
“Will Trinity come? Sure. Whether or not a brand new plant will likely be constructed is one other query,” he mentioned.
Schaefer’s feedback are the primary public rationalization of why the manufacturing unit might not be constructed. “The probabilities are 50:50,” he mentioned. “By late January, early February we are going to know which automobiles will likely be made wherein vegetation on what platforms,”
Earlier, Automotive Information Europe sister publication Automobilwoche reported that the Trinity manufacturing automobile possible could have crossover styling as a substitute of the sedan design initially deliberate.
VW’s new management crew of VW Group CEO Oliver Blume and Schafer has ditched the sedan design in favor of crossover styling due to the recognition of SUVs and crossovers, sources instructed Automobilwoche. The unique, low-slung sedan form was deliberate to make the automobile aerodynamic and enhance its driving vary by greater than 20 km to 600 km.
As a part of a strategic assessment, Blume is reviewing whether or not to construct the Trinity plant or to make use of the prevailing Wolfsburg plant, in accordance with experiences. Building of the brand new manufacturing unit was because of begin subsequent 12 months, with the primary Trinity fashions rolling off the manufacturing line from 2026.
Automobilwoche contributed to this report