According to an insider, Volkswagen intends to launch the first electric car in the future Trinity series even later than previously planned as part of its model planning.

An SUV based on the new SSP e-vehicle platform will be postponed by several years until the beginning of the next decade, a person familiar with the process told the Reuters news agency on Tuesday. The reason for this is that, unlike earlier plans, an electric Golf will be the first to be built on the SSP platform in 2028 or 2029. VW will also launch an improved new edition of the ID.4 in 2026, for which the existing MEB e-platform will be upgraded. There is therefore no need for the prestige model with the working title Trinity before the 30s. The investments in the E-Golf and the ID.4 should pay off first.

The "Handelsblatt" newspaper first reported on the postponement. Referring to an internal VW document, it said that Trinity would not go into production until the end of 2032. The newspaper reported, citing insiders, that the reasons for this were weak demand for e-cars and VW's software problems, which have still not been resolved. A company spokesperson declined to comment on the media report or the insider's statements.

Trinity, which will also be based on the new SSP platform but will bring a technical leap forward, was announced by former VW CEO Herbert Diess for 2026. His successor Oliver Blume postponed the project by two years shortly after taking office in order to ease the burden on the struggling software subsidiary Cariad. He also put plans to build his own Trinity plant on hold for cost reasons. Europe's largest car manufacturer is struggling with high costs and low profitability.

(Report by Victoria Waldersee, written by Ilona Wissenbach, edited by Ralf Banser. If you have any queries, please contact the editorial team at frankfurt.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com)