WOLFSBURG: The first vehicle based on the new modular electric drive kit (MEB) will be the compact all-electric Volkswagen I.D., which is to roll off the production line at the Zwickau plant in Saxony from the end of 2019.
Volkswagen is expected to launch 32 models worldwide within five years based on the new platform. In 2020, over 100,000 Volkswagen vehicles are planned to be built on the MEB platform, with the Zwickau site becoming the largest European e-mobility centre.
The I.D., I.D. BUZZ and I.D. CROZZ are part of the start-up formation which Volkswagen is introducing at short intervals from 2020 onwards to launch its electric offensive. The new vehicle generation is to be launched in Europe, China and the United States.
The announcement was made 100 weeks ahead of the planned start of production of the first model in the I.D. family.
The electric architecture of the MEB, oriented towards zero-emission digital mobility, is entirely newly developed. The toolkit includes electric motors with different power ratings, flat batteries in the floorpan with innovative technologies and software features such as smart lighting and head-up displays with augmented reality which were previously only available on premium segment vehicles.
"The Volkswagen brand will be offering more than 20 all-electric models by 2022 and will be investing about €6 billion (RM29bil) in e-mobility over the next five years," said Volkswagen CEO Dr Herbert Diess.
"We have significantly reduced the complexity of the I.D. project and shortened the product creation process by 11 months," said Christian Senger, Vice President Product Line e-Mobility.
"The new vehicle architecture, autonomous driving and the topics of networking and services will call for a working model involving close networking with all partners and suppliers. The plan for the product has been set out and we will now devote all our energy to implementing it together."
