The Volkswagen Group is working on the project initiated at Audi „Artemis“ of the latest technology for electric cars and their production. Porsche should also be closely involved in the project, but is now withdrawing from it, according to a report. The sports car manufacturer apparently pays a lot of money for this.
Artemis should result in three future electric models in 2025, which will be produced at VW Commercial Vehicles (VWN) in Hanover. In addition to sister models from Audi and Bentley, the Automobile week according to 25,000 Porsches roll off the assembly line every year. The contracts have already been signed, but Porsche changed its mind at the end of 2021 and is buying its way out of the group project. For this, a small three-digit million amount is to flow to VWN Hannover as a compensation amount.
The transfer from Zuffenhausen should enable VWN in Hanover to close the gap created by the cancellation of Porsche with its own models. A camper version of the ID.Buzz electric minibus, which will be called ID.California, and an additional plug-in hybrid version of the T7 Multivan with a longer range are planned. A T7 California is also being planned, reports the Automobile week. In addition, the plant in Hanover should deliver car bodies to Audi in Brussels as overflow production from 2026.
A central reason for Porsche going it alone is said to be that the Artemis project also focuses on technology for comprehensive automation. The sports car manufacturer has no need for this, as typical self-drive cars are offered. Without the shared platform with Audi, production in Hanover would no longer make sense, as production on one line would then no longer be possible, they say. In any case, Porsche was not enthusiastic about having one of its models built in VW’s commercial vehicle plant in Hanover.
The new Porsche electric car is now to be built at the brand’s Leipzig plant. According to information from Automobile week the internally called K1 series will start up in Saxony in 2026, a year later than planned in Hanover. The new group-wide “super platform” Scalable Systems Platform (SSP), but the platform of the electric Panamera planned for 2024 or 2025. This is the Premium Platform Electric developed jointly by Audi and Porsche (PPE) for particularly high-quality and powerful Stromer.