The automaker will temporarily stop production of the Qashqai compact crossover and Leaf small electric car at its Sunderland plant.

VW said it cut average CO2 emissions in new cars by about 20 percent to 99.8 grams per km in the EU, but that was around 0.5 g/km above its target.

The EV will "democratize" advanced technology such as autonomous driving, VW says.

The platform will underpin an electric replacement for the Alpine A110 and a Lotus EV.