Monday 6 July 2020

Volkswagen converts car factory into ‘Europe’s largest EV plant’

Volkswagen has transformed one of its biggest car factories in Germany to produce only electric vehicles (EVs) rather than combustion engine cars.

The Zwickau factory in Western Saxony, which has been producing combustion engines since 1904. has officially ended its production and will now operate as what claims to be 'Europe’s largest' EV factory.

After a conversion phase, which will draw an investment of €1.2 billion (£1bn) and will last several weeks during the summer, the first EVs will be produced there at the end of the year.

The plant, which is expected to manufacture 330,000 EVs every year, will enter full production of six electric models of the brands Volkswagen, Audi and Seat, starting from 2021.

Reinhard de Vries, Managing Director of Technology and Logistics at Volkswagen Sachsen, said: "Today is a historic day for us. We are proud of what we have achieved so far, and at the same time are greatly looking forward to what the future holds for us. The trend towards electric mobility will continue to pick up speed."