Volkswagen has been at the center of controversy in the recent years, especially since the emissions scandal broke. But now, they are making a move to electric vehicles, in a hope that might liberate from the burden of the past.
CEO Herbert Diess recently told German publication Automobilwoche that the car giant has started platform and battery procurement plans to enable it to produce 50 million vehicles.
According to the Volkswagen chief, the platform has been “booked”, that too, with 50 million cars, adding that they have procured batteries to handle the same amount.
In 2017, the group had sold about 10.7 million vehicles.
Last week, the German government had announced that many carmakers had agreed to spend over $3,400 per vehicle to reduce diesel emissions. Volkswagen, along with Daimler, were said to be ready to retrofit older vehicles to achieve this, while BMW refused.
On Friday, the company posted that Volkswagen Brand sales fell 6.2% to 516,900 vehicles in October, even with US sales rising 4.6%.
The car giant’s supervisory board is expected to meet this Friday, Nov 16, on its electric car and battery cell strategy. Earlier, Volkswagen had hinted that it was studying the viability of battery cell production at its Salzgitter plant. They are also expected to make a deal with South Korea’s battery maker SK Innovation.