Electric Volkswagen Golf is Delayed Again, Report Claims
Volkswagen is just one of many automakers scaling back or delaying their electric vehicle plans. In yet another twist, it appears that the future battery-powered Golf will arrive later than the planned 2029 deadline.
According to a new report from Reuters, the company's iconic plant in Wolfsburg, Germany is out of money to retool and prepare for the production of electric Golfs due to the automaker's major cost-cutting moves. Funding will be delayed for at least a year.
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The same factory is also slated to manufacture the electric variant of the T-Roc, a small utility vehicle that sells very well in Europe but is not available here.
Expected to replace the ID.3, the electric Golf was initially targeted for 2027, but problems within Volkswagen's Cariad software division led to a 15-month delay.
This new production delay in Wolfsburg risks opening the door wider to Chinese competitors such as BYD, which are increasingly trying to gain a foothold in the European market by offering cheaper, longer-range electric vehicles. On the other hand, it gives engineers more time to integrate solutions from Rivian which, if you remember, has signed a deal with Volkswagen to share technologies and innovations.
Furthermore, we also have to assume that the current gasoline-powered Golf, Golf GTI and Golf R will remain alive longer. What about the plan to move Golf production from Germany to Mexico in 2027? That remains to be seen, but things are likely to change there, as well.
