The Volkswagen board has announced a revised diesel strategy and plans for a new modular electric platform following a special meeting of its revised membership.
The company remains under intense pressure across the world, with investigations into alleged fraud continuing. French police last week raided Volkswagen’s regional headquarters in Paris and seized documents and computer equipment.
The VW board said that all diesel engines sold in Europe and North America would soon be equipped with SCR and AdBlue technology, stating also that it intended to make sure that in the future its diesel engines would be fitted with “the best environmental technology”.
The German company also announced that the creation of a modular electric platform for compact segments that would feature an electric range 250-500km. The MQB platform will also continue to be developed further to accommodate 48V mild hybrids and high-volume EVs with ranges of up to 300km.
The final headline announcement was that the next generation of the Phaeton full-size luxury sedan will be all-electric. A number of other measures were revealed, including the acceleration of the company’s efficiency program and a cut in the annual R&D budget of a billion euros.
VW chairman Herbert Diess said: “Time and again, the Volkswagen team has proved it stands united and is fully focused on shaping the future, particularly when times are tough. We have now laid the further foundations for that.”
