Volkswagen will build their $2.2 billion, EV-only manufacturing plant in Wolfsburg, Germany. The state-of-the-art facility will be located near the firm’s headquarters and will produce around 250,000 cars per year. The decision to build the new plant came after VW realized it was easier to construct a new factory from scratch as opposed to retooling existing facilities.
The new Wolfsburg plant will oversee production of VW’s flagship Trinity sedan. Set to launch in 2026, the Trinity will be similar in size to the Passat and will appeal to the mass-market. It will reportedly have a range of over 435 miles per charge and be capable of Level 4 autonomous driving. Pricing should start in the region of €35,000 ($38,300).
Volkswagen aims for a 10 hour production process for each Trinity from start to finish. The Trinity will be the first EV based off the VW Group’s SSP electric “super platform” – a chassis that will eventually be used by Audi, Porsche, Skoda and SEAT as well.
VW’s other plant in Wolfsburg, opened in 1938, currently produces around three times as many vehicles as this new EV facility aims to. However, by opening an EV-only plant Volkswagen can maintain their productions plans for their ICE vehicles, such as the Golf, Tiguan and Touareg.
This news comes just days after Tesla received final approval for Giga Berlin production.