The Volkswagen Group held an investor presentation last week detailing its plans for a highly modular electric vehicle platform known as SSP (Scalable Systems Platform), which will eventually form the basis of most vehicles in the automaker’s brand portfolio.
The SSP platform was first announced in 2021 by former VW Group CEO Herbert Diess, who said at the time that the platform would debut in 2026 in the Volkswagen brand’s compact model, codenamed Project Trinity. However, the current CEO of the VW Group, Oliver Blume, has postponed the introduction of the platform pending a review of all major projects, which he initiated after the 2022 replacement of Diess.
During a recent investor presentation, the VW Group said the SSP platform is back on track for a 2026 launch – and delivering better performance. However, the automaker did not reveal in which vehicle it will make its debut.
According to VW Group’s presentation, the SSP platform will support outputs from 160 hp to more than 1,740 hp. According to the car manufacturer, it will also offer automated driving assistance technology, which is 4 on the SAE scale of self-driving capability. Level 4 means that the vehicle can manage itself for longer periods of time without driver intervention.
Oliver Blume
The SSP platform will use far more standard components than the automaker’s current platforms, including the battery, which will have a common cell and take just 12 minutes to charge from 10 to 80% using a DC fast charger. The common cells will be used in roughly 80% of the VW Group’s vehicles and will be primarily supplied by the VW Group’s own battery company, known as PowerCo, founded in 2022.
The use of standard components means that the VW Group will be able to reduce the production costs of its electric vehicles to such an extent that the profit margins of most SSP-based electric vehicles will be similar to those of similar gas-powered vehicles. According to the automaker, investment and development costs for vehicles based on the SSP platform should be around 30% lower than similar vehicles based on VW Group’s current MEB platform designed for conventional electric vehicles.
Some brands are also given responsibility for developing different versions of the SSP to speed up development. The VW brand will be responsible for the variants that form the basis of minicars and other small models. Audi will develop versions for the compact and mid-range segments, and Porsche for the large segments. At least one Porsche-developed variant, the SSP Sport, will form the basis of a new three-row SUV that Porsche plans to launch around 2027. Porsche also has its own electric platforms for sports models like the electric 718 due around 2025 and a potential electric hypercar due in the second half of the decade.
