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Volkswagen Reportedly Put the New Trinity Plant Under Review, Car Is Still on Track

Volkswagen faces delays with its Trinity project and other self-driving electric vehicles because of the problems with its software arm Cariad. On top of that, CEO Oliver Blume is considering whether a new 2-billion plant in Wolfsburg really makes sense.
Volkswagen reportedly put the new Trinity plant under review 6 photos
Photo: Volkswagen
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Blume has written to workers making clear that all projects and investments were under review, a source told Reuters. This came after Manager Magazine reported about restructuring plans that would have the project Trinity postponed for years. Among the measures rumored to be taken is the axing of a new plant in Wolfsburg, where the future self-driving electric sedan was supposed to be assembled.

According to Reuters and Automotive News reports, Volkswagen management still wants to launch the Trinity sedan to market. The only question is, for now, whether it needs a new factory. The car’s launch is currently planned for 2026, although that might change in light of the new information.

Volkswagen announced in March that it intends to invest 2 billion euros in a new state-of-the-art factory near its Wolfsburg headquarters to build the Passat-sized electric sedan. Known as “the Project Trinity,” the new model would’ve been the most ambitious Volkswagen project in decades. Built on top of the new SSP software-defined platform, Trinity was supposed to bring advanced self-driving features to a more affordable price point.

The new plant in Wolfsburg was meant to compete with Tesla’s Giga Berlin in terms of production efficiency, significantly slashing production time. Like Tesla, Volkswagen wants to use large die castings to cut the number of components. Tesla needs around 10 hours to assemble a Model Y SUV at Giga Berlin, while Volkswagen’s assembly times are notoriously lengthy due to a complicated production process.

Relocating Project Trinity’s production to another factory would further disrupt the development process. Trinity, part of the larger Artemis project, is already delayed two years until 2026. The delay, mainly caused by software problems at Cariad, made Porsche withdraw from the project. Under Oliver Blume’s supervision, it wouldn’t be far-fetched if the whole project were overhauled.
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About the author: Cristian Agatie
Cristian Agatie profile photo

After his childhood dream of becoming a "tractor operator" didn't pan out, Cristian turned to journalism, first in print and later moving to online media. His top interests are electric vehicles and new energy solutions.
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