Volkswagen is temporarily suspending development of the electric ID. Golf due to the need to limit costs and reallocate its investments. The decision was confirmed by David Pouls, CFO of the Volkswagen brand and Brand Group Core, when presenting the results for the first nine months of the year. The measure does not mean that the electric Golf has been canceled. The company defines the suspension as temporary, but does not indicate when engineers will return to the project and how much the schedule for its premiere will be changed. The electric Golf should use the future Scalable Systems Platform, intended to serve as the basis for a wide range of electric vehicles from the Volkswagen Group. Platform delays, software difficulties and rising development costs have already complicated the company's plans.
Volkswagen CEO Thomas Schaefer has previously said that the company does not need an electric Golf in 2028 and that around 2030 is a more realistic time frame for its appearance. The first models on the SSP platform are expected to be introduced by Audi and Porsche before the technology reaches the main Volkswagen brand.
Until the ID. Golf arrives, the name will be represented by versions with internal combustion engines, full hybrid and plug-in hybrid. The current Golf is expected to receive another update in 2027, when its production is to be moved from Wolfsburg to Volkswagen's plant in Puebla, Mexico.
Volkswagen is not starting from scratch with an electric Golf. The company sold the e-Golf, an all-electric version of the seventh generation, from 2014 to 2020. Its production ended with the expansion of the range of models developed specifically as electric cars. Among them was the ID.3, which was supposed to prepare the return of the electric Golf. After its update, the model is now designated as the ID.3 Neo, but the plan for the next electric Golf is proving to be slower than expected. The delay could also have consequences for other models in the group. The Skoda Octavia and Cupra Leon share a significant part of the Golf's technology, and the longer life of the current generation could also extend the production of connected cars.