Now Volkswagen is banking on range-extender hybrids
German car giant adapts next-generation EV platform to support a range-extending combustion engineThe Volkswagen Group has delayed the launch of its billion-dollar EV vehicle architecture to modify it for range-extender powertrains.
The Scalable System Platform (SSP) was originally planned to reduce the number of platforms the Volkswagen Group used from five to just one following the car giant’s commitment to go all-electric, but the decline in appetite for electric cars has triggered a serious rethink.
According to Motor1, the SSP platform has been reconfigured to be capable of packaging a combustion engine for a range-extender hybrid powertrain, although the rethink might have delayed the platform’s introduction from 2026 until later this decade.
Instead of driving a pair of wheels, future VWs will be offered with the option of a small petrol-powered engine to charge the battery, boosting the range.
A similar system was used on the original BMW i3 and is favoured by Chinese brands.
Volkswagen had already announced that its new Scout brand would launch a ute and SUV that will be available with a range-extender hybrid, while the most recent Volkswagen ID.Era concept – a three-row SUV developed alongside the brand’s Chinese partner, SAIC – will have the tech from launch.
When introduced, the SSP will underpin all EVs in the Volkswagen Group, with the brand releasing a tease with five body styles, from a small hatch to a large SUV.
According to Automotive News, a total of eight derivatives will be spun off the platform, with the newswire reporting that SSP-based vehicle are still on track for a 2026 launch. China has been favoured first, with Europe set to get vehicles based on the state-of-the-art platform a year later than planned in 2027.
Some reports suggest the range-extenders might be limited to China.
Perhaps the most important vehicle to be underpinned by the SSP platform is the next Mk9 Golf that switches to EV-only, although the Mk8.5 version will have its production moved to Mexico where it will remain on sale until 2035.
There’s no word if the new Golf could be among the first VW models to be offered with a range extender when it’s introduced in 2028.
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