FRANKFURT -- Volkswagen brand plans to more than double the share full-electric vehicles will have in its European sales by 2030, in a bid to accelerate the automaker's shift toward battery-powered cars.
Full-electric vehicles are expected to account for more than 70 percent of the brand's European vehicle sales by 2030, compared with a previous target of 35 percent, VW said on Friday as it unveiled its 'Accelerate' strategy.
"With Accelerate we are increasing the speed on our path to a digital future," said Ralf Brandstaetter, who heads the VW brand and also sits on VW Group's management board.
In the U.S. and China, the brand is targeting a market share of over 50 percent for full-electric vehicles by 2030, VW said, taking aim at rivals including Tesla to become the world's leader in electric vehicle production.
"Of all the major manufacturers, Volkswagen has the best chance of winning the race. While competitors are still in the middle of the electric transformation, we are taking big steps toward digital transformation," Brandstaetter said.
"In the coming years, we will change Volkswagen as never before," he said, adding that integrating data and software functions into cars would open up new sources of revenue.
Following the launch this year of the Europe-only ID3 compact hatchback, the ID4 electric crossover is being rolled out this year, targeted at the U.S. and China.
Other ID models will include the all-wheel-drive ID4 GTX in the first half, followed by the sporty ID5 in the second half. The ID6 X/Cross, a seven-seat electric SUV for the Chinese market, will be launched in autumn, VW said.
VW said it is working on the next generation of an all-electric drive toolkit for flat vehicles called the Scalable Systems Platform. This will be deployed in 2026 for the first time in the Volkswagen’s flagship project, Trinity.
The Trinity project is developing a VW brand flagship electric sedan that will be built in the automaker's home plant in Wolfsburg, Germany.
