VW wants to introduce 30 electric cars within the next decade

VW is hoping to put the CO2 emissions fiasco behind it ─ and what better way than to make electric cars more prominent in its line-up?

That’s according to VW chief financial officer Matthias Muller, who announced at a recent press conference what the company calls the ‘Together Strategy 2025’, in which 30 electric vehicles will be launched between now and 2025.

Muller said the idea is, “to learn from mistakes made, rectify shortcomings and establish a corporate culture that is open, value driven and rooted in integrity,” which seems like a sensible course of action given the lack of trust created after the defeat device emissions scandal.

The hope is to sell between two and three million electric vehicles in 2025 and achieving said milestone will incorporate a focus on “e-mobility” and the development of its own batteries, something electric car rival Tesla is already working on.

Self-driving technologies will also be a core focus of the plan and VW says it plans to offer its, “competitive self driving system” (SDS), to rival manufacturers.

Affording such an initiative, which VW admits will run into, “double-digit billions, will require serious money saving and increased revenue. Improving the efficiency of its research and development processes was mentioned, as well reducing costs within its sales and admin departments.

VW already offers electrified versions of its Golf hatchback and Up! supermini. It also made a foray into highly economical supercars with the XL1 concept, suggesting it can do more than cheat its way to a more eco-friendly and efficient future.

30 electric vehicles in 10 years may seem a bold move, but let’s remember governments are focussing hard on reducing air pollution levels, with some going as far as aiming to ban diesel and petrol cars (basically anything that outputs any emissions locally) within the next decade.

In fact, VW’s home of Germany wants 100 per cent of new cars to be emission-free by 2030, meaning there’s really only 15 years for it to make a huge change to the sort of cars it sells. Whether the target is met remains to be seen, but it’s clean electric cars are here to stay.