Volkswagen is delaying the Golf EV, an electric SUV, and more
The iconic hatch is still going all-electric, but not soon enough. Volkswagen is delaying the electric Golf, an upcoming electric SUV, and more, due to rising costs.
Why is Volkswagen delaying the Golf EV?
Volkswagen is going back to its roots with plans to revive some of its top-selling nameplates, including the Golf and T-Roc, as battery electric vehicles.
Although we expected to see the electric hatch arrive in 2028, it looks like it will actually be closer to the end of the decade now.
Volkswagen is pushing back the launch date by about nine months, according to sources close to the matter (via Bloomberg). The setback is reportedly due to rising costs from the restructuring at its Wolfsburg plant in Germany, where the Golf is produced.
Last year, the European auto giant agreed to shift production of the gas-powered Golf to Mexico, while the EV version was set to replace it as soon as 2027.
According to the sources, Volkswagen is delaying the Golf EV due to budget constraints associated with the plant retooling.
VW is upgrading the facility to prepare it for its next-generation EVs, including the Golf. The electric T-Roc is also being pushed back, the sources claimed
Plans to move the current Golf to Mexico have been delayed as the costs of new tech and more to build the two new EV models need to be pushed to a different spending period.
The delay comes as tensions at the Wolfsburg plant are rising. According to the sources, production lines are at a standstill due to technical and equipment failures. Output at the facility could fall by thousands of units a week, the sources claim.
Volkswagen plans to launch a new family of more affordable, entry-level electric vehicles to keep pace with BYD and other Chinese EV makers that are quickly gaining market share.
At IAA Mobility 2025 last week, Volkswagen showcased the upcoming lineup, including the ID.Polo and ID.Cross, an electric sibling to the T-TRoc.
The ID.Polo is expected to debut in the first half of next year, starting at around €25,000 ($30,000), followed by the ID.Cross, and a smaller, entry-level EV based on the ID.EVERY1 concept. It looks like we won’t see the electric Golf until closer to the end of the decade now.
Volkswagen is assessing its budget from 2026 to 2030, which could include an around €160 billion ($188 billion) budget to address the issues.
Electrek’s Take
Although Volkswagen has big plans to fend off the incoming wave of low-cost EVs from BYD and other automakers from China, when will we actually see them?
The ID.Polo is due out in the first half of 2026, marking the start of the next generation of Volkswagen. That’s if it launches on time.
Delaying the electric Golf until 2029, at the earliest, will only give BYD and other brands more time to grab market share. BYD is already starting to gain a foothold in Europe, but sales are expected to accelerate as it expands its lineup and distribution network.
European automakers, including VW, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz, are promising that more affordable electric vehicles are on the way, but they’d better get going. Otherwise, it could be too little, too late.
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First Solar just cut the ribbon on a huge new factory in Iberia Parish, Louisiana, and it dwarfs the New Orleans Superdome. The company’s $1.1 billion, fully vertically integrated facility spans 2.4 million square feet, or about 11 times the size of the stadium’s main arena.
The factory began production quietly in July, a few months ahead of schedule, and employs more than 700 people. First Solar expects that number to hit 826 by the end of the year. Once it’s fully online, the site will add 3.5 GW of annual manufacturing capacity. That brings the company’s total US footprint to 14 GW in 2026 and 17.7 GW in 2027, when its newly announced South Carolina plant is anticipated to come online.
The Louisiana plant produces First Solar’s Series 7 modules using US-made materials — glass from Illinois and Ohio, and steel from Mississippi, which is fabricated into backrails in Louisiana.
The new factory leans heavily on AI, from computer vision that spots defects on the line to deep learning tools that help technicians make real‑time adjustments.
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry says the investment is already a win for the region, bringing in “hundreds of good-paying jobs and new opportunities for Louisiana workers and businesses.” A new economic impact analysis from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette projects that the factory will boost Iberia Parish’s GDP by 4.4% in its first full year at capacity. The average manufacturing compensation package comes in at around $90,000, more than triple the parish’s per capita income.
First Solar CEO Mark Widmar framed the new facility as a major step for US clean energy manufacturing: “By competitively producing energy technology in America with American materials, while creating American jobs, we’re demonstrating that US reindustrialization isn’t just a thesis, it’s an operating reality.”
This site joins what’s already the largest solar manufacturing and R&D footprint in the Western Hemisphere: three factories in Ohio, one in Alabama, and R&D centers in Ohio and California. Just last week, First Solar announced a new production line in Gaffney, South Carolina, to onshore more Series 6 module work. By the end of 2026, the company expects to directly employ more than 5,500 people across the US.
Read more: First Solar pours $330M into a new South Carolina solar factory
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No, it’s not the new Bolt. GM’s design team previewed a new high-riding “sporty Chevrolet EV” that should be brought to life.
Is Chevy launching a new sporty EV?
This is the all-electric vehicle Chevy should sell in the US. General Motors’ design team released a series of sketches previewing a sporty new Chevy EV.
Although it kinda looks like the new 2027 Chevy Bolt EV as a higher-sitting compact crossover SUV, the design offers a fresh take on what it should have looked like.
The new Bolt is essentially a modernized version of the outgoing EUV model with a similar compact crossover silhouette. Nissan adopted a similar style with the new 2026 LEAF as buyers continue shifting from smaller sedans and hatchbacks to crossovers and SUVs.
Will we see the sporty Chevy EV in real life? It’s not likely. For one, the “exploration sketch” is by GM China Advanced designer Charles Huang.
GM Design posted the sketches on its global social media page, but the caption read “Sporty Chevrolet EV for the China Market.”
It’s too bad. The Bolt could use a sporty sibling like an SS variant. Chevy introduced the Blazer EV SS (check out our review) for the 2026 model year, its fastest “SS” model yet. Packing up to 615 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque, the Chevy Blazer SS can race from 0 to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds when using Wide Open Watts (WOW) mode.
Will the Bolt be next? I wouldn’t get my hopes up. And if GM does bring the sporty Chevy EV to life, it will likely only be sold in China. Like all the fun cars these days.
What do you think of the design? Would you buy one of these in the US? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
While deliveries of the 2027 Bolt are set to begin in early 2026, Chevy is offering some sweet deals on its current EV lineup, including up to $4,000 off in Customer Cash and 0% APR financing for 60 months.
Ready to test drive one? You can use our links below to find Chevy Equinox, Blazer, and Silverado EVs at a dealership near you.
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Environment
Podcast: Electricity is the base currency, Tesla Robotaxi crashes, new Porsche Cayenne EV, and more
In the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy. In this week’s episode, we discuss electricity becoming the base currency, Tesla Robotaxi crashes, the new Porsche Cayenne EV, and more.
The show is live every Friday at 4 p.m. ET on Electrek’s YouTube channel.
As a reminder, we’ll have an accompanying post, like this one, on the site with an embedded link to the live stream. Head to the YouTube channel to get your questions and comments in.
After the show ends at around 5 p.m. ET, the video will be archived on YouTube and the audio on all your favorite podcast apps:
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Here are a few of the articles that we will discuss during the podcast:
Here’s the live stream for today’s episode starting at 4:00 p.m. ET (or the video after 5 p.m. ET:
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