VW creates EV-only factory
Volkswagen has transformed its plant in Zwickau, Germany, into a dedicated electric vehicle (EV) production facility and marked the occasion by starting to manufacture its new ID.5 and ID.5 GTX models there.
The company claims it is the first large-scale facility of any major carmaker worldwide to switch over all production from internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles to EVs.
Six models from the Volkswagen, Audi and CUPRA brands will now be manufactured in Zwickau. Plants in Emden and Hanover in Germany, and Chattanooga in the US will also start producing EVs this year.
The Volkswagen brand says it hopes to build 1.2 million EVs at its sites in Europe, the US and China in 2022.
Dr Christian Vollmer, member of the board of management of Volkswagen brand responsible for production, says: “Volkswagen will continue to increase the pace of e-mobility in 2022 with its Accelerate strategy and the expansion of the model portfolio.
“The Zwickau production plant has paved the way for the group to do this … and the knowledge and experience gained will help us to continue to electrify our production network quickly and efficiently.”
About €1.2 billion has been spent since 2018 on converting the Zwickau plant from ICE vehicle production into a showcase factory for manufacturing EVs that has increased its use of technology and automation across the assembly line.
