Construction will begin in 2023, and cars will leave the production line in 2026, according to VW.
The Trinity sedan will be about the size of a mid-size Passat. The car is focused on the mass market and aims for a range of more than 700 km (435 miles).
It will be technically ready for Level 4 autonomous control and will debut the VW Group SSP electric “super platform” which will replace the internal combustion engine and all-electric platforms used by brands such as VW, Skoda, Seat, Audi and Porsche.
VW is committed to producing the Trinity model 10 hours per car, similar to how long it will take Tesla to build cars at its new plant in Grunheide near Berlin.
“Key is less options, fewer components, more automation, more fuel-efficient production lines and new logistics concepts,” VW said.
The plant will produce about 250,000 cars a year, and building it from scratch is less difficult than re-equipping existing operations, said VW brand manager Ralph Brandstetter. told reporters in November.
The decision to add a new facility is part of VW Group CEO Herbert Diss’s efforts to increase EV’s switching pace and become more efficient.
The construction of the plant near Wolfsburg is a reference to the powerful unions of VW, which often clashed with Diss.
Reuters and Bloomberg contributed to this report
