The all-electric Golf will not arrive in 2028 as expected. After another delay, here’s when you can expect to see the Volkswagen Golf EV now.
When is Volkswagen launching the Golf EV?
The Golf is Volkswagen’s best-selling vehicle of all time, so it makes sense for an all-electric version, right? Apparently, it isn’t a priority.
Volkswagen brand CEO Thomas Schäfer confirmed the news on Wednesday morning: The Golf EV won’t launch in 2028 as initially planned.
Schäfer told the media at the Financial Times Future of the Car event in London (via Autocar) that “We have a fantastic line-up now that we do not need an electric Golf in 2028,” adding “We are well set with what we have in our portfolio with our vehicles.”
The German automaker launched the first of what it calls “True Volkswagen” models last month, starting with the updated ID.3 Neo and ID. Polo electric vehicles. Later this year, the ID. Cross, an electric alternative to the T-Cross, will join the lineup.
Another reason the Golf EV is being delayed, Schäfer suggested, is that the SSP (Scalable Systems Platform) platform, developed through its partnership with Rivian, is being pushed back again.
The electric Golf was expected to be among the first Volkswagen vehicles underpinned by the next-gen platform, alongside higher-end Audi and Porsche models.
Why is it being delayed? “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 make margin parity,” Schäfer said.
Volkswagen’s CEO also pointed out that Chinese brands, like BYD, have led to “increased competition,” forcing the company to adjust EV prices.
The comments come after German trade union IG Metall revealed the first official image of the upcoming Golf EV to Volkswagen workers during a works council meeting at its Wolfsburg facility in March.
By integrating Rivian’s software, vehicles built on the 800V SSP platform will offer more advanced in-car features and continuous improvements via over-the-air (OTA) updates. The Golf EV was expected to be one of VW’s first major software-defined vehicles (SDVs) following the production version of the ID. EVERY1.
Volkswagen will build the electric Golf at its Wolfsburg plant in Germany closer toward the end of the decade, while the gas-powered model will be produced in Mexico.
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