The Next VW Golf Will Have American DNA

Posted by author November 29, 2024 Golf

Spread the love

Now that Volkswagen and Rivian have cemented their relationship, it’s only a matter of time before Rivian tech starts showing up in VW models. A new report says that matter of time will be longer than we expected, but that it will show up first with a VW badge in Volkswagen’s most important product.

Volkswagen

Volkswagen is a mainstream automaker founded by the German Labour Front in 1937 as the “people’s car” company. Famous for the Volkswagen Beetle, Type 2 Bus, and modern classics like the Golf and Jetta, Volkswagen has emerged as one of the world’s largest automakers and a subsection of the larger Volkswagen Group, which either directly or indirectly owns controlling stakes in Porsche, Audi, Bentley, BMW, Skoda, Lamborghini, Bugatti, Rimac, Seat, and more.

Founded: 28 May 1937
Founder: German Labour Front
Headquarters: Wolfsburg, Germany
Owned By: Volkswagen Group
Current CEO: Thomas Schaefer

The CEO of the VW brand has told Automotive News that we won’t see a Volkswagen with Rivian electric architecture until 2029. It could be even longer for American buyers because the tech won’t be in an SUV from VW. It will first arrive in the Volkswagen Golf, the popular (in Europe) hatchback that’s not even sold here anymore outside of the go-fast GTI and R models. Rivian’s help will show up sooner in premium models, though. Expect to see the startup’s tech in Audi and Porsche models as soon as 2027.

Volkswagen Group And Rivian Building Software-Defined Vehicle Platform

Volkswagen and Rivian are working together on a software-defined vehicle, VW Brand CEO Thomas Schäfer told AN. “It will happen with Rivian, the joint venture, where we put the new electric electronics architecture together. But we have also decided that we want to start this journey with a more iconic product. So we’ll start with the Golf.” He called the electric Golf, expected to be the ninth generation of the car, “a real volume product” and said that it would be shown in 2029.

VW ID.7 With American Charging Ports Suggests It’s Not As Dead As We Thought

We’ve spotted proof that Volkswagen is serious about bringing the ID.7 to American shores.

It was expected that VW would launch the partnership with its Trinity project. A new model series with advanced autonomous driving meant to go after Tesla, it would also bring a new way of manufacturing to the German automaker. But Volkswagen has now pushed that project back most of a decade. It will come in 2032, not 2026.

The Golf EV will instead be the first Volkswagen model with Rivian help on board. “We just switched a little bit, moved [Trinity] out a little bit, not because we don’t see it as a huge priority, but Trinity was never designed as a volume vehicle,” Schäfer said.

New Platform Will Be Used On All Sizes Of VW

Schäfer said the Volkswagen Group plans to use the software-defined architecture on a wide range of models. Everything from small cars to large vehicles. Volkswagen has been a leader in what it calls modular platforms. Its MQB platform supports sizes from city cars to minivans and the Volkswagen Atlas.

Rivian’s Plan To Go Global Is One Step Closer To Reality

The American automaker’s credit score must be through the roof.

Add CarBuzz to your Google News feed.

Before the Volkswagen models, though, Schäfer says Porsche and Audi will get the benefits of the Rivian joint venture. He said that models from those brands could arrive as soon as 2027, though he did not give any hints as to what the product would be. 2027 could be the time for another major update to the Taycan. It could also be the new three-row EV expected to sit above the Cayenne in the Porsche lineup.