The Rivian-Volkswagen partnership will eventually see billions of dollars changing hands as the German automaker looks to the American upstart for help developing its technology platforms. Recent reports suggest that VW could get a new vehicle out of the deal, as it’s rumored that Rivian may assist in developing the brand’s next-generation Golf hatchback.
Volkswagen announced the ID.3 as an electric Golf replacement, but more recent developments hint that the car could revert back to the iconic nameplate before its release. The upcoming ninth-generation Golf would be one of the first vehicles to ride on the pair’s jointly-developed Scalable Systems Platform (SSP).
VW boss Thomas Schafer said, “We decided on how to do the software-defined vehicle. It will happen with Rivian, the joint venture, where we put the new electric electronics architecture together. But we have also decided that we want to start this journey with a more iconic product. So we’ll start with the Golf.”
While we’re hearing about this now, it’s unlikely the VW-Rivian tie-up will deliver a new Golf until closer to the end of the decade. Even then, VW will likely retain a gas powertrain option for the car through 2035, when the EU’s emissions regulations tighten to the point that internal combustion engines could effectively be banned.
[Images: Volkswagen]
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