VW accelerates EV shift, wants to be dominant electric brand by 2030

FRANKFURT — Volkswagen's namesake brand plans to more than double its market share of fully electric vehicles in total European sales by 2030, the company said on Friday, accelerating the carmaker's shift toward battery-powered cars.

VW has increased its goal to claiming 70% of total electric vehicle sales in Europe by 2030, compared with a previous target of 35%, the world's second-largest carmaker said as it unveiled its 'Accelerate' strategy.

To achieve this, VW plans to roll out at least one new battery electric vehicle model each year, if not more. In 2021, the brand will introduce the all-wheel-drive ID.4 GTX in the first half of the year, and the sporty ID.5 sometime in the second half. The ID.6 X/CROZZ, a seven-seat SUV, will be introduced in the fall for the Chinese market.

VW said it has pushed plans for an EV smaller than the ID.3 off to 2025.