The SUV pioneer owned by Volkswagen won’t start production on its first EVs, the Terra truck and the Traveler SUV, until 2028, not 2027 as originally planned, German publication Der Spiegel reports (as noted by The Drive). Given the dour mood around EVs these days, a one-year production delay isn’t the worse news.
The joint venture, which operates under the official name Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies, is prepping its first prototypes for winter testing in the first quarter of 2026, InsideEVs reports. These include VW, Audi, and Scout test mules equipped with zonal architectures, with consolidated ECUs and less wiring. The first crop of passenger vehicles will also be Audi, Scout, and VW branded models, including the VW’s ultra-low cost ID.EVERY1. Audi and Scout will feature three zonal ECUs, like the second-generation R1T and R1S vehicles, while the VW ID.EVERY1 will come with just one zonal ECU.
It’s been almost two years since the German automaker said it was adopting Tesla’s NACS standard for its electric vehicles. And at last, long after pretty much all the other automakers have already adopted the standard, VW is following through. Starting November 18th, VW ID.4 and ID Buzz owners can buy a NACS adapter online or from their local dealer for $200, which they can then use to fast charge at any of the 25,000 Supercharger outlets in North America. That’s super!
IIHS moderate overlap crash test results for seven EVs show good ratings for the i4, Blazer EV, post-April 2025 Cybertruck, and ID.Buzz, and acceptable for Tesla’s Model 3. (No word on the door handles.)
The F-150 Lightning (poor) and Ariya (marginal) results showed risks of injuries to backseat passengers.
VW subsidiary Moia announced today the series production version of the fully autonomous ID Buzz minivans that will comprise the company’s robotaxi fleet in Los Angeles in 2026. If you’ve ever ridden in a Waymo, you’ll recognize a few familiar designs, like “start/stop” buttons, an external keypad for entry, and plenty of cameras inside and out the vehicle. I also noticed a bunch of smart choices, like luggage carriers in place of a front passenger seat and linoleum flooring for the passenger who inevitably spills their full Starbucks drink (or vomits, I guess).
The Lanzador EV concept-based vehicle will also “allow for up to 2,000” horsepower according to Volkswagen Group and Porsche CEO Olliver Blume, who shared the details at an annual media conference. Future Audi, Porsche and Bentley vehicles will share this new platform, however, Blume teases that the Lamborghini will have “a very specific set-up.”
Volkswagen previewed its ultra-low cost €20,000 ID EVERY1 electric vehicle yesterday, but the press material didn’t mention that it’s the first EV to launch with technology developed by Rivian, thanks to their $5.8 billion joint venture.
Thankfully, TechCrunch got the inside info. Notably, VW’s €25,000 ID.2all, coming in 2026, will be built on E3 1.1 stack developed by VW’s software unit Cariad. I find it very interesting that VW is tasking Rivian to develop a central nervous system for its cheapest model first.
Along with the event launch date, VW Group CEO Thomas Schäfer posted a new sketch on LinkedIn showing a cute high-roofline crossover that probably won’t come to the US. The EV was referred to as the “ID. Every 1,” but that’s only the show car name.
Last week’s dark teaser image revealed an “ID.One” nameplate after someone adjusted the image.
The availability of new parts has allowed Volkswagen to lift the stop-sale order it put in place last September, after hundreds of ID.4 owners complained about their doors randomly opening while driving (including your’s truly). The door issue certainly took some of the shine off the ID.4 — VW said it only sold 646 in Q4 of 2024, a 94 percent drop year-over-year.
[media.vw.com]
ABC News reports the deal covers over 120,000 workers, but will cut over 35,000 jobs by 2030 via early retirement and buyouts. It also outlines production plans and locations for future vehicles, including an electric Golf, Q4 E-tron, ID.7, and another EV based on the SSP platform.
The deal would save VW 1.5 billion euros ($1.56 billion) a year in labor costs and 4 billion euros a year by slashing manufacturing capacity by more 700,000 vehicles across its German plants through different production arrangements.
[Volkswagen Newsroom]
Sweden’s Northvolt filed for Chapter 11 this week after racking up $5.8 billion in debt and burning through $30 million in cash. The company had investments from Volkswagen and Goldman Sachs and orders from Audi, Porsche, and BMW.
It was working with Volvo on new batteries due in 2025 with higher energy density to be integrated as a structural element of the vehicle, It’s unclear whether Northvolt will make that deadline, although it plans to “operate as usual” during the restructuring.
[northvolt.com]
To celebrate its recent coupling, Volkswagen and Rivian brought a few journalists to its new Palo Alto-based office to see an example of the type of EVs they plan on building together. (Handelsblatt’s Felix Holtermann posted the first pic to his LinkedIn.) The unmarked VW test vehicles are running on Rivian’s software and electrical architecture, which the company boasts uses fewer electronic control units and less wiring than most other EVs.
Volkivian? RivWagen? I’ll leave the portmanteaus to more creative minds.
The VW-backed company is following in the footsteps of Tesla and Rivian by selling directly to customers without a dealership.
This is how you revive an iconic brand.
The SUV pioneer that is now owned by Volkswagen plans on revealing its first battery-powered vehicle on October 24th, according to a banner on the company’s site. No specifics yet, but we’re likely to get a truck and/or an SUV, something designed for off-roading, while also being perfectly at home in a Target parking lot. Expect lots of “chunky” buttons.
The Italian automaker is not quite ready to release its first full EV. Thankfully, it has a ridiculous new hybrid to tide you over.
Volkswagen’s first non-SUV EV to hit American shores is shaping up to be a winner.
The VW-owned brand broke ground on its new factory in South Carolina, where it eventually will churn out hundreds of thousands of rugged, battery-powered off-roaders. And that includes “chunky buttons.”
