Volkswagen Delays Electric Golf Launch to 2030

Volkswagen has delayed the launch of its ninth-generation electric Golf, originally slated for 2028, until at least 2030, as the company's brand chief executive confirmed at the Financial Times Future of the Car summit in London earlier this week.

Thomas Schäfer, Volkswagen's brand CEO, stated that the automaker does not require the battery-powered hatchback in the near term. "We have a fantastic lineup now that we do not need an electric Golf in 2028," Schäfer said. "We are well set with what we have in our portfolio with our vehicles."

The postponement stems from Volkswagen's robust current electric vehicle offerings and challenges in developing its next-generation Scalable Systems Platform, or SSP. This new architecture, featuring an 800-volt system and software co-developed with Rivian, is designed to underpin future models across the Volkswagen Group. Rollout will begin with Audi vehicles, followed by Porsche and then Volkswagen models. Schäfer emphasized the need for sufficient scale to achieve cost parity with internal combustion engine vehicles. "It sounds like we take so long, but for us we are looking at scale, and you have to have scale in this game or you'll never...