The Volkswagen Golf electric hatch has been delayed by at least two years, with the automaker’s CEO saying it will not be in showrooms before 2030 – likely pushing its Australian launch to 2031/2032.
As reported by Autocar, Volkswagen brand CEO Thomas Schäfer told the Financial Times Future of the Car Summit in London, United Kingdom, the electric Golf – first announced in 2023 – isn’t a priority for the brand.
“We have a fantastic line-up now that we do not need an electric Golf in 2028. We are well set with what we have in our portfolio with our vehicles,” Mr Schäfer said.
In recent weeks, it unveiled the Volkswagen ID. Polo electric hatch, as well as an updated ID.3 now badged as the ID.3 Neo. The company also teased the ID. Cross city SUV, an electric counterpart to its T-Cross, due to launch this year.
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Yet the CEO’s latest comments come as Volkswagen Group revised its electric vehicle (EV) strategy – like so many other automakers – across its auto brands, including Porsche, Audi and Volkswagen itself.
The delay from the electric Golf’s previously expected 2028 launch may stem from delays to the 800-volt SSP (Scalable Systems Platform) underpinnings planned for the electric Golf.
First announced in 2021, the dedicated electric platform – which had been set to debut in 2026 – has suffered delays due to software issues, while the company has extended the life of internal combustion-engined (ICE) models, including the current Golf.
“[The] SSP, we will roll it out across the [Volkswagen Group] brands. We will start with the premium brands first … It will start with Audi, then Porsche, then us [Volkswagen] and on and on,” Mr Schäfer said.
It’s expected the first SSP showroom models will arrive in 2028, but the electric Golf won’t be added to the lineup until 2030. Like the ID. Polo, Volkswagen is aiming for price parity between electric and ICE models.
“It sounds like we take so long, but for us we are looking at scale, and you have to have scale in this game or you’ll never make margin parity,” said Mr Schäfer.
Both petrol and electric versions of the Golf nameplate will be offered concurrently, but one or the other may be offered in different countries depending on customer demand.
Volkswagen previously said it will keep the petrol version of the Golf in showrooms until new European Union emissions regulations come into effect, with the European Commission recently proposing automakers reduce tailpipe emissions by 90 per cent compared to 2021 levels.
Mr Schäfer told Auto Express last month the brand had “got it wrong” with the original ID.3 and ID.4, saying a “new mindset” at the company would see it bring “true Volkswagens” back to its lineup.
“It was clear to me that we were actually losing our core: what Volkswagen really stands for, the special Volkswagen feeling, for customers, for fans and for our teams.”
Despite this, Volkswagen overtook Tesla as the highest-selling EV brand in Europe in 2025 for the first time since 2022, securing the number one spot overall across Europe for the 21st year in a row.