Volkswagen has announced a new electric sedan that is priced and equipped to compete with electric vehicles such as the Tesla Model 3, or maybe something bigger. T.The development program already has a bad reputation Project Trinity
I don’t know why this doesn’t line up for the “ID” nomenclature that VW is currently building with the European ID.3 and US ID.4 crossovers, but this sounds like it could be the automaker again which is an all-new platform.
Details on VW’s new Project Trinity sedan are scarce, aside from the sweeping teaser image released today. VW CEO Ralf Brandstätter claimed the new EV will be able to “charge as quickly as charging a petrol car at a fuel pump” and deliver “new range standards.” It’s also not clear how big the sedan will be, but whether it’s one flagship, it may not be as compact as the Tesla Model 3 in size. The only hardware the carmaker was interested in developing the Trinity is the array of driver assistance systems and self-driving equipment and systems on the platform.
The serial production version of the Project Trinity EV sedan will be held in high regard standardized hardware with fewer available equipment choices, according to the automaker. That means any car that rolls off the line comes with a load of standard hardware, whether or not you paid in advance for all associated optionsYou drive around with the weight of your car’s equipment that you didn’t pay enough to use. VW calls this turning the car into a “software-based product,” where the owner can pay to unlock functions wirelessly, as all the necessary hardware is pre-installed (theoretically).
This supposedly reduces manufacturing complexity and, I extrapolate, probably simplifies maintenance, the ordering and delivery operations, and also logistics processes. The inventory sheet gets smaller and the quality improves as the menu gets shorter, so to speak.
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“In the future, the individual configuration of the vehicle will no longer be determined by the hardware at the time of purchase,” Brandstätter says.Instead, customers can add functions as needed at any time through the in-car digital ecosystem. ”
Some of these features are planned to provide different levels of driver assistance, with equipment that VW claims to be able to Level 4 hands-off self-driving in the near future – and hardware-ready for digital unlocking when the owner chooses to do so. The car will come standard with Level 2 driver assistance systems
I am still very skeptical of any system that claims to exceed power or legality over current driver assistance systems such as steering assistance, lane guidance, automatic distance cruise control and automatic braking systems so far still requires complete hands-on attention and focus from the driver.
Competitors like Tesla have their toes in locking functions or performance behind software paywalls in the name of standardizing hardware to simplify the manufacturing process. Although there were initially strong negative reactions, it is a production method used by other car manufacturers worldwide, such as the Chinese NIO EV range and Lucid’s. upcoming line-up.
We will see how the standardization of hardware aaffects the pricing of it sedan from Project Trinity, which will rival the Tesla Model 3. In the European market, where the Model 3 is priced at $ 39,990, the German papers Welt CEO Brandstätter reported that prices could start at “around 35,000 euros”.
That directly shakes out to just over $ 41,700 in US dollars, but prices on the US side are likely to be cheaper than the direct conversion from euro to dollar. However, the Model 3 Standard Range Plus currently starts at $ 36,990 in the US on Tesla’s website a cheaper standard range may still be available through a retailer or over the phoneIn addition, VW EV sales volumes in the US may still qualify for federal tax breaks by the time the car goes into production in 2026, which Tesla buyers are no longer eligible for, in addition to the local and state tax breaks (which Tesla buyers are still eligible). in front of).
As for the name, VW says: “Trinity stands for three crucial themes: a newly developed electronics platform with state-of-the-art software, the simplification of the supply structure, and fully networked and intelligent production at the main plant in Wolfsburg. ”
It perhaps an obvious dig after the model 3 by Tesla, although it reminds me of the Trinity nuclear device test, the first atomic bomb ever explodesCertainly a world-changing event, but not one to which you necessarily want to connect your brand.