Volkswagen hits pause on the Golf EV as it faces an ‘urgent need for action’ — SkimNews
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- Volkswagen paused development of the all-electric Golf at its Wolfsburg plant as the automaker races to cut costs, pushing a launch initially planned for 2028 to closer to 2030 while gas-powered Golf production moves to Mexico in 2027.
- Volkswagen reported a €5.9 billion ($6.5 billion) third-quarter operating loss — its largest quarterly loss since the 2015 Dieselgate scandal — driven by a write-down of its Porsche stake, weak sales in China and lower profit margins on electric vehicles.
- Thomas Schäfer told staff "We simply can't afford this work right now," with the Wolfsburg plant about €300 million ($334.5 million) short of its cost-cutting targets and the decision "really not an easy one for us."
- Volkswagen's Supervisory Board approved the "Future Plan 2030" restructuring last month, cutting 100,000 jobs globally, trimming the lineup and closing several plants in Germany.
- Rivian's Scalable Systems Platform, developed with Volkswagen, was taking longer than expected, Schäfer said, and the ID. Golf was to be among the first vehicles built on it.
- Volkswagen's works council said the pause will not delay the Golf EV launch, promising to make up for lost time and keeping the 2030 date.
- Arno Antlitz warned "We cannot afford to lose any time and must act quickly and decisively" after the quarterly loss.
Why it matters: The pause does not cancel the ID. Golf — the works council says it still launches in 2030 — but it lands as Wolfsburg runs €300 million short of its savings targets and Future Plan 2030 cuts 100,000 jobs and closes German plants. Gas-powered Golf production shifts to Mexico in 2027.
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