Volkswagen Group aims to introduce a unified EV platform

The Volkswagen Group's next electric architecture will be used to unify all of its future EVs, doing away with specific platforms by taking a more universal approach.

Dubbed the Scalable Systems Platform (SSP), it will replace the five existing platforms which underpin a range of cars from the Volkswagen Group, such as the MQB (Golf, A3, Octavia), MLB (A7, Macan), MSB (Panamera, Continental), MEB (ID.3) and PPE (Macan EV).

Set to be introduced in 2026, the SSP is a part of the Group's move to electric vehicles with an aim of dropping internal combustion engines in Europe by 2035 – something which the Australian arm believes isn't sustainable here due to current emissions legislation.

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The VW AG strategy targets mass production over low-volume vehicles

With adoption mooted to be swift, more than 40 million Volkswagen Group cars are expected to be based on the SSP throughout its life cycle. That number is around four times its current annual output and larger than any other EV manufacturer, giving it a significant profit boost thanks to lower production costs.

Driving forwards in its push towards autonomous driving, the Group is developing driverless shuttles for business use with self-driving tech platform company Argo AI (co-owned with Ford), targeting a roll-out throughout Europe in 2025, with the United States following shortly after.

And to support the high production numbers of EVs, a common battery cell design will be introduced from 2023, while six more battery factories will be constructed in Europe by 2030 – bringing production costs down by around 50 per cent.

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Autonomous VW shuttles will be released onto European streets from 2025