Again in 2017, when the Volkswagen Group was in scorching waters over the Dieselgate scandal, the German automaker proudly introduced that it was pivoting to electrical propulsion. Finest described because the spine of Volkswagen’s electrification technique, the MEB platform spawned in extra of 1,000,000 automobiles produced at no fewer than eight vegetation worldwide.
Picture: Volkswagen / Skoda / Cupra / Audi / edited
Not lengthy now, the MEB will likely be tailored into the MEB Entry for small automobiles and crossovers. MEB Entry-based automobiles have already been confirmed for manufacturing by the Volkswagen, Skoda, and Cupra manufacturers. Cupra is believed to exchange SEAT altogether by 2030. The Spanish automaker that gave us Cupra is rumored to morph into an city mobility model by then.
Turning our consideration again to MEB automobiles, which come customary with rear-wheel drive versus front-wheel drive for the MEB Entry, the Volkswagen Group presently builds MEB automobiles in Europe, the Folks’s Republic of China, and the USA of America. From the ID.3 hatchback to the just lately unveiled ID. Buzz long-wheelbase minivan, the MEB underpins all of them. What’s much more stunning is Volkswagen agreeing to share this platform with Ford, whose Explorer EV will inevitably cannibalize the ID.4 in Europe.
That is solely a brief collaboration, although. Martin Sander, the Blue Oval’s electrical car improvement supervisor in Europe, confirmed that Ford is wanting into all attainable choices for all times after MEB. Studying between the traces, Ford will both associate with one other firm or develop a small platform of their very own. In the long term, particularly after the European Union bans the sale of latest fossil-fuel automobiles, creating a platform may very well be extra worthwhile than utilizing one other firm’s design, electrical methods, and software program.
Volkswagen had a plethora of software-related points earlier than and proper after the ID.3 went into collection manufacturing, software-related points that prolonged to the Golf Mk8. Extra just lately, Volkswagen fired prime executives of the Cariad software program division. Software program performs an enormous function in any fashionable car, together with a three-cylinder econobox like Volkswagen Polo. Software program is all of the extra essential in an electrical car, which is much extra smart to poor coding and bugs than an ICE automobile.
The ID.4 is firmly planted on the best-selling electrical automobiles leaderboard, though Tesla continues to dominate gross sales globally with its Mannequin Y crossover and Mannequin 3 sedan. Chinese language manufacturers are doing fairly effectively in their very own proper, particularly the likes of Wuling, BYD, and the peeps at GAC.
? a million automobiles, one platform!?
Celebrating our electrical car platform, MEB, with 5 manufacturers!???? By now, Audi, Cupra, Skoda, Volkswagen & Volkswagen industrial are pushing 8 factories in China, Europe & US
???? Extra 2 come:
small MEB-family w/ Cupra, Skoda & Volkswagen! pic.twitter.com/lOS9cUZpD8
— Volkswagen Group (@VWGroup) June 16, 2023
