Volkswagen has given the green light to a new $2.2 billion investment to build a new plant in Wolfsburg, Germany.
The new plant will be used to produce the future electric vehicle developed by the Trinity Project, a high-performance electric vehicle.
The Trinity is being touted as VW’s next flagship electric vehicle, built from the ground up to be simpler and cleaner to produce, and to achieve a high level of efficiency.
Many reports link VW’s next flagship electric vehicle to Audi’s Artemis program, which aims to develop a “high-performance electric vehicle.”
The German automaker did not reveal more details about the Trinity project, but said its goal is to achieve “much shorter charging times” and “a range of over 700 kilometers” (435 miles).
Now, Volkswagen has announced that the new electric vehicle will be produced in a new plant that will be built next to the existing plant in Wolfsburg-Warmenau:
“Volkswagen has reached another milestone on its transformation journey: next to the main plant in Wolfsburg, a new production plant for the Trinity electric model will be built with an investment of around 2 billion euros. The corresponding decision was made today by the Group’s Supervisory Board. The new Trinity plant is a key component of the largest modernization program in the history of the Volkswagen core plant. Construction work in the Warmenau district of Wolfsburg should start as early as spring 2023, taking into account building and environmental legislation. At the same time, the new site will meet high environmental standards. To this end, Volkswagen will engage in an intensive exchange of information with the relevant authorities as well as with interested parties. Built using the most innovative manufacturing methods, the pure carbon-neutral Trinity is set to roll off the assembly line in 2026. In this way, the new plant, with its optimized processes, will become a model for the gradual transformation of production at the main plant in Wolfsburg along with all other Volkswagen production sites around the world.”
VW previously talked about the Trinity hitting the market “in the middle of the decade,” but now it’s naming a 2026 schedule.
With today’s announcement, the German automaker also said that it is aiming to improve production speed and efficiency to achieve a production time of 10 hours per vehicle:
“Volkswagen is also committed to setting the standard in Trinity production when it begins in 2026, and aims to achieve a 10-hour production time per vehicle. The bottom line: fewer options, fewer components, more automation, more cost-effective production lines and new logistics concepts. Campus Sandkamp creates the basis for optimal and efficient collaboration between all Volkswagen divisions through modern working methods.”
According to CEO Herbert Diess, the automaker needs to focus on this if it wants to be able to compete with Tesla.
The CEO said that Tesla is expected to hit the 10 hour per car mark at the Gigafactory in Berlin, while VW is expected to hit the 30 hour per car mark in Zwickau.
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