Volkswagen to launch China-specific entry level electric platform
- Volkswagen’s new architecture for entry-level EVs – A Main Platform – will be made specifically to suit Chinese consumer tastes
- China is a very ‘price-sensitive’ market and Volkswagen needs to optimise costs, country chief Ralf Brandstaetter says
Volkswagen said on Friday it will develop a new platform for entry-level electric vehicles (EV) in China and use more local components to lower costs, as the German company seeks to regain lost ground in the world’s biggest car market.
The new architecture, known as the A Main Platform, will be made specifically to Chinese consumer tastes with regards to the battery, electric drive and electric motor, China chief Ralf Brandstaetter told reporters during a visit to its new EV development and procurement centre in the central city of Hefei.
Chinese new car buyers are younger, tech savvy and like a immersive digital experience from their cars, he added.
Derived from the so-called modular electric drive matrix (MEB), Volkswagen’s existing electric-only platform in use since 2019, it will primarily use Chinese suppliers and should be ready for market in 2026, a third faster than previous platform development times, he said.
The company has said it plans to introduce 10 more EV models globally by 2026 and speed up its time to market for new models from four years to closer to the 2.5-year average for its Chinese counterparts.