The once-dominant German giant Volkswagen has struggled to keep up in the rapidly changing car market, facing competition from Chinese manufacturers and European rivals like Renault.
Now, Volkswagen is making a move to turn things around, unveiling a comeback plan that includes nine new cars — but only two of them will be electric.
On Wednesday, VW rolled out its new strategy named "Triple A: Accelerate, Attack, and Achieve."
The goal? Regain lost ground and fix the company’s growing financial troubles.
But even before this, CEO Thomas Schäfer had already admitted back in November 2023 that Volkswagen is no longer a competitive brand — a confession from the head of one of the world’s biggest carmakers.
This was reported by Boosted.
Nine New Cars — But Only Two Fully Electric?
Despite the industry’s massive shift toward EVs, Volkswagen isn’t going all-in on electric just yet.
Out of the nine new cars planned for release by 2027, only two will be fully electric—the ID.2, arriving in 2026, and the ID.1, launching in 2027 with an estimated price of €20,000.
But before these so-called affordable EVs hit the market, Volkswagen has another priority: the second-generation T-Roc, a compact crossover that will be VW’s last new gasoline-powered car. The T-Roc has been a massive hit, almost matching the Golf in sales across Europe last year.
If Volkswagen wants to go out with a bang in the gasoline era, this model will be key.
At a Wolfsburg factory meeting, Schäfer tried to reassure employees about Volkswagen’s future, despite the fact that the company is considering shifting Golf production to Mexico and cutting 35,000 jobs.
Volkswagen’s ninth-generation Golf, developed in collaboration with Rivian, will be fully electric and built on VW’s new Scalable Systems Platform (SSP). But don’t expect to see it on the roads anytime soon — it’s not expected to launch until the end of the decade.
In the meantime, Volkswagen will keep the gasoline-powered Golf Mk. 8 alive for a few more years.
VW has also confirmed an electric T-Roc, but it’s still in the early stages, meaning it won’t be hitting showrooms anytime soon.
Renault’s EV Lineup Could Crush Volkswagen’s Plans
The real problem for Volkswagen? The competition isn’t waiting.
Renault has already launched the Renault 5 EV, and by 2026, the Renault Twingo EV will be on the market—a full year before Volkswagen’s ID.1. Both brands are targeting the same budget-friendly EV market, meaning Volkswagen risks falling even further behind.
Renault is also preparing to launch the Renault 4, an affordable electric crossover, further tightening the competition. Volkswagen’s delayed EV rollout could give Renault—and other rivals—a major advantage.
On top of struggles with EV production, Volkswagen is still dealing with major software issues. The company’s Cariad software division has been such a disaster that VW is considering scrapping the entire project and leaning on Rivian for help.
To make matters worse, German media recently revealed a massive data leak affecting 800,000 Volkswagen vehicles. It’s yet another headache for a company already struggling to stay ahead in the industry it once dominated.
