An internal race in the VW Group has begun to become an engineering hub for electric vehicles, a field which includes research and development of battery cells, battery packs and electric motors, in the hope of preserving local jobs.
Porsche has developed the J1 electric cars platform, creating 1,000 jobs at its plant outside the southwestern German city of Stuttgart, while the Volkswagen brand made its own MEB platform for mass-market EVs in Lower Saxony, and pledged to create 9,000 jobs in developing autonomous and electric vehicles.
The Volkswagen brand will spend 2.5 billion euros to develop electric cars, the company said.
VW brand has developed its own MEB platform for mainstream EVs such as a production version of the I.D. concept, pictured, due in 2020.
Audi is working on its own electric car at its Bavarian base but it is unclear whether it will develop its own EV platform now that the Volkswagen brand is to establish itself as a center for battery cells, battery packs and electric motors.
Some senior executives say the fierce competition between brands is nothing unusual. But others point to press reports that appeared during the final days of VW’s future pact negotiations as an example of a more abrasive power struggle, although the source of the leaks remains unclear.
