VW to take on Tesla with new EV

VOLKSWAGEN has teased a new electric powered sedan to be built in Wolfsburg from 2026.

VW says the EV it will set new standards in terms of range, charging speed and digitisation – and will be able to drive highly automated up to Level 4 (out of 5).

Volkswagen has dubbed the sedan Project Trinity, a name derived from the Latin “trinitas” that stands for the tri-unity.

In VW’s world, those three elements are encompassed in a future model with a newly developed electronics platform featuring state-of-the-art software, the simplification of the supply structure and fully networked and intelligent production at the main plant in Wolfsburg.

According to Ralf Brandstätter, CEO of the Volkswagen brand, “Trinity is a sort of crystallisation point for VW’s Accelerate strategy, a lighthouse project, our software dream car.” 

“The newly developed vehicle architecture will set standards in terms of range, charging speed (charging as fast as refuelling) and digitalisation,” he added.

Additionally, VW hopes Trinity could make autonomous driving in the volume segment possible for many people.

By the planned start of series production in 2026, Trinity will already reach Level 2+ autonomous driving and be technically ready for Level 4.

“We are using our economies of scale to make autonomous driving available to many people and to build a learning neural network. In this way, we are creating the conditions for the continuous exchange of data from our vehicle fleet – for example, on the traffic situation, on obstacles or on accidents,” said Mr Brandstätter.

“Trinity therefore gives people time and saves them stress. After a long highway trip, you arrive at your destination relaxed because you have been driven by a ‘chauffeur’ to your vacation or to your home after work.

“Trinity therefore becomes a kind of 'time machine' for our customers.”

With the production of the series version, the Wolfsburg plant will become a showcase for state-of-the-art, intelligent and fully networked production processes.

“We will completely rethink the way we build cars and introduce revolutionary approaches. Digitalisation, automation and lightweight construction play an important role here,” added Mr Brandstätter.

Future vehicle models such as Trinity will be produced with considerably fewer variants, and the hardware will be largely standardised. The cars will then have virtually everything on board and customers will be able to activate desired functions ‘on-demand’ at any time via the digital ecosystem in the car. This will significantly reduce complexity in production.

By developing the automobile into a software-based product, Volkswagen is creating the conditions for new, data-based business models.

Entry barriers to individual mobility are to be lowered while at the same time offering even more attractive usage packages. Volkswagen intends to generate additional revenue in the usage phase – for charging and energy services, for software-based functions that customers can book as needed, or for automated driving.

“In the future, the individual configuration of the vehicle will no longer be determined by the hardware at the time of purchase. Instead, customers will be able to add functions on demand at any time via the digital ecosystem in the car,” said Mr Brandstätter.

When it arrives, the sleek sedan will reportedly wear the ID.4 nameplate.

Trinity unashamedly targets the Tesla Model 3 with VW diligently working on Project Trinity to ensure is meets the Tesla challenge on all fronts including price.

Leaked information suggests Trinity will be offered in both single-motor RWD or dual-motor AWD configurations – the same as VW’s ID.4 SUV.

Volkswagen says Trinity EV sedan will be capable of traveling up to 700km (WLTP figures) on a single charge and hit 100km/h in less than 5.0 seconds.

It will be able of receiving over the air (OTA) updates as well as being Level 4 autonomous drive capable.

The platform is what’s called a Scalable Systems Platform (SSP) and will be used on VW’s future EVs. VW calls is a “scalable platform for the electric age” that is capable of handling up to 800V architecture. 

A new process to be tested on the Trinity sedan project reduces development times by 25 per cent down from 54 months to 40.

Trinity sedan is shorter than Passat but comfortably seats five with a large boot.

Project Trinity sedan will be produced at a new facility on which VW spent nearly $A3.0 billion that will cut production times per vehicle to 10 hours.