Volkswagen execs would inform you some very unfunny issues occurred on the way in which to electrification: Design selections wrought years of harm, car platform and software program catastrophes scotched launch timelines for not only one however at the least three manufacturers, and chaos piled excessive sufficient to unseat a CEO. These execs may not be right about that center one, although, if Volkswagen Group CEO Oliver Blume is telling the reality. Throughout a presentation laying out the conglomerate’s ten-year plan on the annual capital markets day, Blume stated the Scalable Methods Platform (SSP) will launch on time, in 2026. This counters current reporting in addition to complaints from particular person manufacturers late final 12 months and this 12 months. On account of ongoing issues with the software program wanted to make the SSP work, Automotive Information Europe reported final July that Audi’s first car with the brand new software program had been delayed as much as three years, to 2027. A number of months later, Autocar reported that Porsche up to date its IPO prospectus with a warning that software program holdups would possibly delay the battery-electric 718 twins and Cayenne.
We do not understand how the corporate obtained issues again on monitor, however buyers will likely be happy and prospects ought to be, too. Blume’s presentation made clear that VW expects to launch a platform much more potent than the one we have been advised about two years in the past. Earlier CEO Herbert Diess gave an identical presentation in 2021 explaining that the SSP would serve each group model, and serve each type of car from metropolis vehicles with as little as 114 horsepower to supercars with as a lot as 1,140 hp. Blume, nevertheless, stated the SSP will be capable to energy drivetrains making as a lot as 1,700 hp — 560 hp greater than the final projection.
However wait, there’s extra. SSP growth will break down into three paths: City metropolis vehicles for Volkswagen, Audi, Skoda and Cupra; compact and mid-size autos for VW, Audi, Porsche and Skoda; and enormous autos for Audi, Porsche, Bentley and Lamborghini. Be aware the absence of Bugatti.
This one skateboard chassis will finally exchange the present MQB, MLB, MSB and MMB inside combustion platforms, the current MEB, PPE and J1 electrical platforms, and the MEB+ arriving in 2025. Will probably be powered by new “unified” batteries of assorted chemistries developed in-house and operating on an 800-volt electrical structure. The charging time to take the batteries from 10% to 80% SOC will likely be 12 minutes, in comparison with the 35 minutes wanted for the present MEB battery-electric platform; the interim MEB+ platform will decrease that point to 21 minutes. The fleshed-out software program dubbed 2.0 will allow Stage 4 hands-free driving.
To get a way of scale and return on funding when that is all put collectively, the present MEB platform sits below about ten fashions whole, from the ID.3 to the Audi E-tron GT. The big SSP will help 14 fashions from Audi, Bentley, Lamborghini and Porsche by itself. In accordance with Blume, these 14 SSP-based fashions are predicted to promote about 1.14 million models between debut and 2038, netting the group greater than 150 billion in income, with revenue margins above 20%. For comparability, Porsche’s 2022 working revenue was 18%.
It is not clear which car will introduce the world to the SSP in 2026, however we do know the second-generation all-electric Audi Q8 E-Tron, Audi’s Undertaking Artemis and Volkswagen’s Undertaking Trinity have all been penciled in round that point. If Blume’s assertions nonetheless maintain weight at the moment, then a line from Herbert Diess’ 2021 presentation might nonetheless come true: That come 2030, VW will make more cash within the EV enterprise than the ICE enterprise.
Associated video: