No Performance EVs Coming With MEB Platform: Report
Volkswagen is one of the few automakers that have consistently offered at least one “fun” car here in the United States. The Golf GTI has remained on sale at times when other companies were killing cars altogether, and VW steadfastly offers vehicles with manual transmissions. Volkswagen is going electric, though, and rumors have floated that it had plans for hot versions of its ID EVs. Unfortunately for enthusiasts, the person overseeing VW’s R vehicle lines told Top Gear not to expect any R-branded EVs in the near future.
There have been rumors that VW was planning an ID.3 R, but we now know that the automaker won’t be pursuing performance models until its second-generation EVs start hitting the streets. The ID.3, not on sale here, rides on Volkswagen’s MEB platform like the larger ID.4. Reinhold Ivenz, VW’s R boss, said that a performance EV would need a new battery, which would be too expensive.
Though it’s just now rolling out new models on the MEB platform, VW’s already deep into developing its second-generation architecture. As Top Gear pointed out, the brand has an 800V platform in the works, and Ivenz confirmed that his team is working on requirements for a performance EV using the setup.
How that will look is anyone’s guess at this point. Automakers can stretch and adapt platforms for use in a wide range of vehicle types, so we could see a new performance EV sedan, crossover, or three-row SUV. Volkswagen says it plans to drop more than two dozen EVs here in 2030, so there will hopefully be plenty of R and performance models to choose from soon.
[Images: Volkswagen UK]
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Chris grew up in, under, and around cars, but took the long way around to becoming an automotive writer. After a career in technology consulting and a trip through business school, Chris began writing about the automotive industry as a way to reconnect with his passion and get behind the wheel of a new car every week. He focuses on taking complex industry stories and making them digestible by any reader. Just don’t expect him to stay away from high-mileage Porsches.
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booo
Sounds about right. I've been figuring that there won't be an EV worth buying until the generation after the next generation.