Audi said the brand would evaluate auto shows to determine if they are the best platform for premieres of upcoming models.

The project, at the base of Mount Fuji, is being championed by CEO Akio Toyoda. Groundbreaking is planned for 2021.

The Volkswagen ID Space Vizzion is a wagon-shaped concept featuring an all-digital cockpit, interactive lighting and potential all-wheel drive.

VW plans to begin production of the ID4 electric crossover at its U.S. factory in 2022 and will add a plant to assemble battery packs.

The pricing plan for the ID4 crossover, which launches in the U.S. next year, ignores the company's recent past. If Volkswagen wants to atone for its diesel-rigging scandal, its first battery-electric vehicle needs to be much cheaper.

The veteran executive will focus on VW's North American production plants, its engineering facilities and improving quality, sources said.

Johan de Nysschen, who was ousted as head of Cadillac last year and who previously served as head of Infiniti and Audi of America, will assume the new role on Oct. 1.

The Honda e, Porsche Taycan Turbo and Volkswagen ID3 were among the Frankfurt auto show hits, as selected by reporter Larry P. Vellequette. There were misses, too.

VW is basing its electric makeover on a simple mantra: Bring what it calls carbon-neutral mobility to the global mass market at an affordable — yet still profitable — price.

Volkswagen has unveiled its Golf-sized ID3 EV, the first in a family of affordable electric vehicles.

The redesigned wagon, on sale in North America next year, boasts a 591-hp twin-turbo powered V-8 engine mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive.

In the new role, he will be responsible for repositioning the VW brand away from its 2015 diesel-emissions cheating scandal and toward a future with at least four battery-electric vehicles in the U.S. beginning in 2020.

By automating factories with processes, machinery and even products that can communicate with each other, plants of the future will be transformed into highly profitable ventures capable of producing multiple products for different customers, a leading expert said.

Current onboard safety systems such as automated emergency braking are already cutting down on collisions, but enhancements that further improve automotive safety should be rolled out as quickly as possible to save lives, Toyota's Wayne Powell said.

VW's Reinhard Fischer said the automaker's $50 billion global electric push will bring new scale to EV production, pushing down costs to a point where they reach parity with fuel-powered vehicles.