A REPORT revealed by UK outlet Autocar this week says German premium producer Audi is trying to share Chinese language producer IM Motors new EV platform, as growth delays loom round father or mother firm Volkswagen Group’s new SSP electrical structure.
IM Motors, an SAIC model, is reportedly near signing an settlement with Audi for the rights to make use of its electrical automobile platform – the identical discovered underpinning the IM Motor L7 sedan and LS7 SUV (pictured).
The 2-year-old platform is more likely to type the premise of numerous electrical Audi fashions and lends itself to each rear- and all-wheel drive functions (that means each single- and dual-motor functions) with wheelbases starting from 2690mm to 3100mm.
It’s thought the platform might assist Audi’s forthcoming ‘Sphere’ vary of fashions, together with manufacturing variations of the Activesphere, Grandsphere, Skysphere and Urbansphere ideas. Volkswagen Group’s current MEB J1 and PPE constructions have reportedly been deemed unsuitable for these fashions.
In accordance with the Autocar report, sources inside SAIC say the modular IM Motor electrical automobile platform additionally shares key components of its construction with the Nebula platform utilized by the MG, Roewe and Rising manufacturers. It’s engineered to assist batteries of as much as 2023mm in size and each 400- and 800-volt electrical drive architectures.
The information comes only a week after Volkswagen Group held an investor presentation during which it supplied an replace on plans for its extremely modular Scalable Methods Platform (SSP), which was first introduced by former VW Group CEO, Herbert Diess, in 2021.
On the time, Mr Diess stated the SSP platform would make its debut in 2026 in a compact mannequin code-named Trinity. Nonetheless, present VW Group CEO, Oliver Blume, delayed the platform’s introduction pending a overview on all main initiatives when he took over the function final 12 months.
“(We should) overview all initiatives and investments and decide whether or not they’re viable,” stated Mr Blume on the time.
Throughout final week’s investor presentation, Volkswagen stated the SSP platform is again on monitor for a 2026 introduction however didn’t element during which automobile it could premiere.
The SSP structure is able to supporting motor outputs of between 120kW and 1300kW (!), and can provide Degree 4 autonomous driving applied sciences, and a battery pack that may be charged from 10 to 80 per cent in as little as 12 minutes.
In accordance with Volkswagen Group, the SSP framework is round 30 per cent cheaper to provide than its present MEB platform, that means it’s extremely suited to the manufacturing of mainstream BEV fashions.
