Newshot Volkswagen SSP Platform Development Suffers Setback, All-Electric Audi A4 Launch Delayed to 2029
IT Home, November 13 — According to a report by British media Autocar this afternoon (the 13th), development of Volkswagen's highly anticipated Scalable Systems Platform (SSP) has hit another setback, delaying the launch of Audi's all-new all-electric A4 until 2029.
The SSP platform has been delayed once again. Previously, the Volkswagen brand announced the postponement of its ninth-generation all-electric Golf project, which is based on this platform, due to cost constraints. The all-new all-electric A4 will be one of the first models to adopt the SSP platform, and was originally scheduled to enter production at the Ingolstadt plant in Germany in 2028.
Volkswagen announced the 800V SSP platform as early as 2021. It aims to replace the existing 400V MEB and 800V PPE architectures, as well as the MQB, MLB and MSB platforms for combustion-engine vehicles, covering models of different classes and different powertrain types through a unified platform, changing the previous practice of developing separate platforms for different products.
Under the plan, SSP-based models were supposed to enter production in 2026, with more than 40 million vehicles expected to be built on the platform. Volkswagen hopes that its brands will share hardware, batteries and software to further reduce production costs at scale.
However, five years on, the time for SSP to be put into use as the Volkswagen Group's next-generation model platform is at least three years later than originally planned.
The repeated delays in SSP development stem largely from long-unresolved software development problems at CARIAD, the Volkswagen Group's software company. Under the original division of labor, CARIAD was responsible for developing a unified operating system and electronic architecture for SSP, while providing technical support for OTA and high-level autonomous driving.
Under the original plan, CARIAD was to deliver the unified software platform in 2025, paving the way for SSP models scheduled to enter production this year. But Volkswagen subsequently significantly revised its development plans. Future models sold outside the Chinese market will use a software and hardware architecture developed jointly by Volkswagen and Rivian. In addition, Volkswagen has hinted that it may in the future extend the CEA architecture used in the Chinese market to other markets.
However, the delay of the Audi A4 e-tron is not entirely due to software development holding things back. It is understood that Audi wants the new car to retain the space layout, seating position and interior proportions expected of an A4, and therefore demanded major design changes to the SSP platform.
One of the requirements is to retain recessed footwells for both front and rear passengers, rather than adopting the flat floor common to many dedicated EV platforms. To achieve this layout, engineers need to rearrange the battery and other key high-voltage electrical components beneath the cabin, adjusting installation positions and space allocation.
An Audi insider revealed that the changes to the platform structure further increased development difficulty, while Volkswagen was simultaneously trying to reduce the number of parts shared across its different brands.
In addition, Audi has also required the A4 e-tron to adopt a 48V electrical system, abandoning the originally planned 12V solution. According to IT Home, 48V can provide more ample power supply to meet the needs of high-performance computers and other electronic devices.
However, this change also increased the engineering workload, forcing Volkswagen to modify part of the electronic architecture developed in cooperation with Rivian.
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