Cashing in: Rivian to help develop the 2029 Volkswagen Golf in a bid to head-off a cheap Tesla Model 2

December 3, 2024December 2, 2024 John Mahoney 2239 Views 0 Comments Golf, id.3, R2, Rivian, Volkswagen

The Volkswagen Group has announced it is ready to cash in on its substantial US$5.8 ($A8.9b) billion joint venture with electric car disruptor Rivian by inviting the US SUV and truck maker to help develop its all-new Mk 9 Volkswagen Golf.

Sadly, for those dreaming of a Golf with a quad motor powertrain shoehorned under the body, prepare to be gravely disappointed because Rivian will instead create a pioneering electric architecture.

The new tech will not only appear in the advanced VW hatch, but also in flagship Porsche and Audi products and is set to make its debut in 2027.

Both Rivian and VW remain tight-lipped about what they are hatching. But expect an electrical architecture well-beyond 900-volts that, along with more robust battery tech, will allow for ultra-fast charging above 450kW.

Before then, the advanced tech is tipped to be rolled out on the Rivian R2 SUV that will go on sale earlier in 2026. That will help preview what’s in store for the future Golf.

The Mk9 Golf will land in 2029 with an all-electric powertrain.

Speaking to media, Volkswagen CEO Thomas Schafer confirmed the Golf would be one of the main beneficiaries of the new VW-Rimac tech.

“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,” Schafer told newswire Automotive News.

“But we have also decided that we want to start this journey with a more iconic product. So we’ll start with the Golf.”

Volkswagen has a family of EVs currently in prodcution, wehich finally start arriving in Australia led by the ID.Buzz shortly.

But it has also shown off concepts of its future models such as the ID.Life (pictured topo) and China-focussed ID.Code.

As well as the all-new electrical architecture it’s also been confirmed the Golf will sit on the VW Group’s state-of-the-art Scalable Systems Platform (SSP) that will see huge improvements in efficiency.

As well as eventually replacing the current Mk8.5 Golf, the new Mk9 VW hatch will supersede the ID.3, which will be heavily updated in 2026.

Ensuring a seamless transition to the new Mk9 Golf, the current Mk8.5 will be upgraded at least one more time to ensure it remains on-sale until 2035.

Meanwhile, VW has also been forced to admit it has delayed its flagship Project Trinity EV project until 2032.

It was originally supposed to be constructed in an all-new factory from 2026 but now VW will upgrade an existing plant in Zwickau instead.

VW has already announced both cost-cutting and factory closures that have already seen Audi shutter its Brussels plant last February.

Proposals of a company-wide 10 per cent wage cut and elimination of all bonuses are also being considered.

The radical move to slash costs and save billions in overheads comes from an economic slowdown in Europe and slowing sales in China, plus the ever-looming threat of more cut-price Chinese imports.