Volkswagen has a hard time dealing with the aftermath of its Dieselgate scandal, and it wants to repent by building electric vehicles by 2020.
The automaker recently confirmed that it considers building EVs in North America by 2020, in a demonstration of good faith and changed behavior.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Hinrich Woebcken, CEO of Volkswagen Group of America, made some promising statements recently. He noted that Volkswagen is considering whether to use its factory in Chattanooga or a plant in Mexico for the upcoming production of the new electric vehicles.
Woebcken affirms that he expects to see a significant change in urban mobility across the United States, with hybrid engines getting favored to petrol engines.
"We are heavily investing in this one — including production in this North American region," he says.
Meanwhile, recent coverage from Reuters shows that the U.S. authorities are very determined to take the automaker to court for its consistent violation of environmental laws. The states of Maryland, Massachusetts and New York recently filed suits against Volkswagen.
For what it's worth, the automaker already had plans to deliver 20 models of plug-in hybrids and electric cars by 2020, before the Dieselgate scandal emerged in the media in September 2015.
Woebcken's recent statement backs the future-proof dynamic that Volkswagen sets itself to do. However, except the fact that the company wants to build EVs in North America, there is not much new info.
In June, the company inked a settlement in value of $14.7 billion in order to make amends for its emissions scandal. The amount is deemed the biggest class-action settlement recorded in U.S. history. The punitive sum might help the embattled carmaker turn in the right direction and seek to regain the trust of consumers by investing in alternative engines.
It should be mentioned that Volkswagen does have an e-Golf hatchback on the road. However, focusing on enlarging its electric fleet by 2020 would be a sign that the company has atoned, and it sees value in cleaner energy and environmental issues.
Tesla is about to face some serious competition should Volkswagen keep to its word and deliver full electric cars in four years. This might not be a problem, as CEO of Tesla, Elon Musk, sent an open letter last year to the California Air Resources Board, where it asked for Volkswagen to focus on EV development as an alternative to replacing or fixing its spoofed diesel engines.
