Volkswagen Is the Latest Automaker to Adjust Its EV Strategy

Full disclosure: I have a very soft spot in my heart for the Volkswagen Golf. A lot of that comes from childhood memories of riding around in it — my mother drove a Golf for a lot of my childhood, and I’m pretty sure I can summon up much of the interior from memory. So when VW announced that a new electric iteration of this model was in the works, I was happy to hear it. But if you’ve also been waiting to learn more about when to expect this new model, you might need to wait a bit longer.

This month, Bloomberg‘s Monica Raymunt reported that Volkswagen had delayed the new electric Golf — something that seems to put them in line with other auto manufacturers who are changing their strategies due to tariffs, shifts in government policy or fluctuations in EV demand. The emphasis there is on “seems” — Volkswagen’s situation is a bit different from many of their contemporaries, even if the effects are similar.

Bloomberg reports that the Golf delays are symptoms of a larger issue involving a revamped manufacturing facility in Wolfsburg. Currently, the internal-combustion version of the Golf is made there, though that was slated to move to a facility in Mexico. According to the report, budgeting issues have slowed the scheduled revamp of the Wolfsburg factory, which will be used to produce more EVs.

Review: The Volkswagen ID. Buzz Is Stylishly Out of Step

While glorious to behold, the retro EV writes checks its specs can’t cash

Raymunt writes that the electric version of the Golf “was expected in 2029” but will now have its release delayed “by around nine months.” In an analysis at Electrek, Peter Johnson observed that the delays to Volkswagen’s electric models could have a big impact on some of their competitors in the European EV market. There are a lot of moving parts for Volkswagen to consider here — and the full implications likely won’t be felt for years to come.

Meet your guide

Tobias Carroll

Tobias Carroll lives and writes in New York City, and has been covering a wide variety of subjects — including (but not limited to) books, soccer and drinks — for many years. His writing has been published by the likes of the Los Angeles Times, Pitchfork, Literary Hub, Vulture, Punch, the New York Times and Men’s Journal. At InsideHook, he has…