Volkswagen to introduce more than 30 electric vehicles by 2025 as part of new business plan

VW BUDD-e Concept

Volkswagen AG will expand into electric vehicles and ride sharing as part of its new business plan, which was announced to the public Thursday.

The plan, which CEO Matthias Mueller presented to the company’s supervisory board on Tuesday, outlines a future strategy for the company as it rights itself after the diesel emissions scandal. Called “TOGETHER – Strategy 2025,” the plan outlines a few key areas that constitute a dramatic shift in the automaker’s core businesses.

At the heart of the plan is an expansion into more electric vehicles. The company plans to release more than 30 battery-electric vehicles over the next 10 years, and is also putting a priority on battery technology development with an eye toward it becoming a potential revenue stream. Reading between the lines, it seems as though VW is hoping to sell technology, and batteries, to other companies.

Two more cryptic strategies deal with the company’s products. VW’s product portfolio consists of around 340 model variants, and the plan is for those to be “systematically geared to profitable growth, taking regional market and customer needs into account.” What that could mean is that they will be simplifying and possibly eliminating models to streamline the portfolio.

The second cryptic strategy was for VW to “optimize the vehicle and drivetrain portfolio to focus on the most attractive and fastest-growing market segments.” This can be summed up into three letters: S, U and V. They already said they will be introducing SUVs and/or crossovers in every segment, and since crossovers are hot now, it makes sense that they would jump on the bandwagon.

2016-vw-tiguan-r-grille

Early speculation was that VW was going to shed some of its non-core brands and even its commercial arm. The plan didn’t say anything about that, but it also didn’t mention any of the non-core brands like Italian motorcycle manufacturer Ducati as part of its strategy, so it potentially opens up the door for a sale.

Likewise, while the report did mention the commercial arm of VW and the brands that make it up by name – Scania, MAN, and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles – it said that it wants Volkswagen Truck & Bus to become the most profitable in the group. Does the omission of Scania and MAN hint at a possible sale, or at least the possibility that a sale is possible? Time will tell.

VW will also look to mobility and ride-sharing opportunities as another future revenue source, mentioning its recent tie-up with on-demand mobility provider Gett. As reported previously, the company will consolidate all the component manufacturing from all of its brands under one umbrella.

In the end, the plan proposes a leaner, more efficient Volkswagen that will focus on electric vehicles, SUVs and consolidation. Will this be enough to bring the company back from the dieselgate scandal? Start the conversation in the comments below.

Volkswagen introduced the all-electric BUDD-e electric vehicle at CES earlier this year, and TFLcar was there. Watch the full video below: