VW developing ultra-luxurious 'Landjet' EV

Volkswagen is well underway with the development of an all-new pure-electric flagship that is being readied under the 'Landjet' codename.

According to the Handelsblatt newspaper, the Volkswagen Group-owned Audi, Bentley and Porsche will all spin off variants of the battery-powered luxury car.

It will be produced at a plant in Hanover that normally builds VW commercial vehicles, with the flagship Tesla Model S rival set to roll off the same line as the upcoming Volkswagen ID Buzz microbus.

Developed through Audi's black-ops Artemis project, the Landjet will be a large vehicle that can feature up to three rows and seat up to seven, according to industry journal Automotive News.

Set to launch in 2024, the first pure-electric Landjet-based vehicle will be an Audi that will have a range of at least 650km.

There's no confirmation of what type of vehicle Audi plans to launch, but the safe money is that instead of a large sedan the first Landjet vehicle will be a seven-seat SUV designed to sit above the current Audi Q7.

The German newspaper that broke the story, meanwhile, insists that instead of an SUV the first Landjet will be a direct rival to the Tesla Model S.

If so, the first vehicle could be named the Audi A9 e-tron and be inspired by the well-received 2017 Aicon concept.

Adding credibility to the sedan rumour, an A9 e-tron would give Audi a new challenger to the upcoming Mercedes-Benz EQS limo that launches in 2021.

Whatever Landjet-based vehicle is introduced, expect the Q9 e-tron or A9 e-tron to become a technological tour de force for not only Audi but the entire Volkswagen Group as it will introduce the European car giant’s latest battery tech, autonomous driving aids, electric powertrain and 5G connectivity.

Further advances will include new car-to-car communication, augmented reality and over-the-air upgrades.

The reason the Landjet is being developed by project Artemis is the quasi black-ops organisation can operate within the Volkswagen Group without any of the usual bureaucratic red tape that dogs other projects.

This makes Artemis faster and quicker to react to trends and helps it develop new tech.

Artemis was deemed necessary by VW bosses to keep pace with the new generation of Chinese start-ups that are developing tech at a rate previously thought impossible by large legacy car-makers.

Artemis has already teamed up with Porsche to develop the J1 architecture that underpins the Taycan and upcoming e-tron GT.

It's not yet known if the J1 architecture can be expanded to underpin the large Landjet or if Artemis was forced to start from scratch and create a new platform.

Helping to fund Artemis, Audi has already set aside €12 billion ($A19.5b) to develop 20 EVs and 10 plug-in hybrids before the end of 2024.