Volkswagen is taking steps to increase its market position as an electric vehicle maker by creating a new division dubbed “New Mobility.” The division will work specifically on the development of electric and autonomous vehicles.
The department will take over responsibility for current ID-badged vehicles and future electric vehicles, which will be based on the VW Group’s new SSP scalable electric car architecture. The division will also assume responsibility for the company’s Trinity project, which is tasked with creating a new generation of electric vehicles.
The Trinity Project’s flagship sedan will be available in 2026 and feature Level 4 autonomy, allowing hands-free driving in most scenarios. Level 4 falls short of full-driverless capabilities offered by Level 5 vehicles.
The New Mobility division will be headed by Thomas Ulbrich, a 30-year Volkswagen veteran and current head of development. Ulbrich will also earn a seat on the supervisory board of Cariad, Volkswagen’s struggling software unit. Cariad will now be led by Kai Gruenitz, who previously held a similar role at the company’s commercial vehicle division.
The hope for the company is that leadership changes, and the new division will help cure disconnects between the software and development departments. Cariad has been blamed in the past for failures involving overspending on budgets and delayed launches of Audi, Bentley, and Porsche models due to unfinished software.
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