<ul><li>VW says that its EVs won't have comparable profit margins to combustion vehicles until at least 2030.</li><li>This is contingent on the company's move to its new SSP platform, which aims to cut production costs by as much as 20%.</li><li>Currently, VW expects to have an overall operating margin of between 4% and 5.5% for 2026.</li></ul><div><div id="ads_6122441_EV_ev_us_Rectangle_rectangle_first_1778105646"></div></div><p>The road to electrification has been a roller coaster. Just a few years ago, manufacturers began dumping billions into battery plants and factories like it was a race to get to market. Scale would eventually deliver price parity with traditional combustion cars.As we know now, things didn't play out exactly as planned, but it hasn't deterred automakers from continuing down the EV path.</p><p>Volkswagen is one of the companies that is still pushing ahead. And while electrification isn't a big money maker for the Germans right now, that doesn't mean that it won't be in the future. This week, VW revealed that EVs still aren't making nearly as much profit margin as its combustion-engine cars—and they won't until at least 2030.</p><section>        <span class="svg-search">                                                </span>                            <img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://cdn.motor1.com/images/static/16x9-tr.png?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" alt="Volkswagen ID. Polo (2026)" width="16" height="9" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://cdn.motor1.com/images/static/16x9-tr.png"/>            <div>Photo by: Volkswagen</div></section><div></div><p>That little nugget comes from Volkswagen Group's first-quarter earnings call, where CFO Arno Antlitz mentioned that VW's EVs won't have similar margins to gas vehicles until the brand undergoes a significant architecture shift.</p><p>“We expect the margin to be fully comparable only with our future SSP platform,” said Antlitz.</p><p>SSP refers to the upcoming Scalable Systems Platform, which is the successor to Volkswagen's current MEB and PPE EV architectures. MEB underpins the VW ID lineupwhile the group's premium vehicles like theAudi A6 and Q6 e-tron, as well as the Porsche Macan and Cayenne EVs, are built on PPE.</p><section>        <span class="svg-search">                                                </span>                            <img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://cdn.motor1.com/images/static/16x9-tr.png?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" alt="Volkswagen SSP" width="16" height="9" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://cdn.motor1.com/images/static/16x9-tr.png"/>            <div>Photo by: Volkswagen</div></section>    <hr/><div></div>    <div>        <span class="normal-label-xlarge">Tell us what you think!</span>        <div>                                                    <div>                <span class="top-counter-comments-prefix">View</span>                                    <div>                        <div></div>                    </div>                                <span class="top-counter-comments-suffix">Comments</span>            </div>        </div>    </div>    <hr/><div><div id="ads_6122441_EV_ev_us_Rectangle_rectangle_1_1778105646"></div></div><p>Volkswagen aims to cut production costs by 20% with SSP compared to MEB. The platform was originally slated to debut this year, but its release has been pushed back to 2030. Antlitz said VW has already made strides in EV profitability, and that that will help it meet Europe's CO2 targets over time without destroying profits.</p><p>Vehicles on the modified MEB Plus platform have cheaper lithium iron phosphate batteries, he pointed out. As an example, he said, the ID.2 Cross has about 70-80% the profit margins of its gas equivalent.</p><div><div id="ads_6122441_EV_ev_us_Native_native_3_1778105646"></div></div><div><div id="ads_6122441_EV_ev_us_Native_native_2_1778105646"></div></div><p>Oliver Blume, CEO of the Volkswagen Group, has laid out a plan to reach company-wide margins of between 8% and 10% by 2030. Blume said in the company's 2025 annual report to shareholders that this would be&#34;built on strict cost and investment discipline.&#34;</p><p>However, the group as a whole has been feeling the heat over the past few years.It experienced a 10% decline in North American sales and an 8% decline in China—the two biggest automotive markets in the world by volume—in 2025.Blume confirmed during the call that VW is forecasting its annual margin for 2026 to be between 4% and 5.5%, up from 2.8% in 2025.</p><div><div id="ads_6122441_EV_ev_us_Rectangle_rectangle_2_1778105646"></div></div>    <section>        <div>            <img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://cdn.motor1.com/custom/share/evus_newsletter_widget_logo.svg?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" alt="Motor1.com INSIDER - logo" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://cdn.motor1.com/custom/share/evus_newsletter_widget_logo.svg"/>        </div>        <div>            <div>Stay informed with our newsletter every weekday</div>                        <div>                <div></div>                back            </div>                                             Subscribe                <span class="widget-newsletter__legal">For more info, read our Privacy Policy &amp; Terms of Use. </span>                    </div>    </section><p>The tiny profit margins that seen in its EVs should explain why many Western automakers target high-dollar, high-margin EVs like trucks and SUVs before pushing out more affordable models. It also speaks to the reason that many automakers are chasing efficiencies through software and additional recurring revenue via subscriptions. Right now, combustion is keeping the lights on, but smarter, more efficient EVs are still the end goal for many players.</p><section> <p>More Volkswagen News</p> <div> <div>                    Volkswagen ID. Polo: This Is It </div> <div>                    The Volkswagen ID. Buzz Gets Bidirectional Charging And Real Buttons </div> <div>                    Europe’s EV Sales Surge Is Leaving The U.S. In The Dust </div> <div>                    Volkswagen Has Finally Fixed The ID.3 </div> </div> </section>                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        <section><p><span>We want your opinion!</span></p><div><p>What would you like to see on Insideevs.com?</p>Take our 3 minute survey.</div><p>- The InsideEVs team</p></section>                                                                            <div>                                <div>                                    Share this Story                                </div>                                <div>                                    <ul>                            <li>                                                                                                                                            Facebook                                                                        </li>                                    <li>                                                                                                                                            X                                                                        </li>                            <li>                                                                                                                                            LinkedIn                                                                        </li>                            <li>                                                                                                                                            Flipboard                                                                        </li>                                                    <li>                                                                                                                                            Reddit                                                                        </li>                            <li>                                                                                                                                            WhatsApp                                                                        </li>                            <li>                                                                                                                                            E-Mail                                                                        </li>                                                                                    <li>                                                                                                                                                 copy                                                                        </li>                    </ul>                                </div>                                                                                                            <div>                                            <div>                                                                                                                                                                                                    <span class="top-counter-comments-label">GO TO COMMENTS</span>                                                                                                    <div>                                                        <span>(</span>                                                        <div></div>                                                        <span>)</span>                                                    </div>                                                                                            </div>                                        </div>                                                                                                </div>                                                            <div>                                    <div>                                        <span>Got a tip for us? 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<p>Volkswagen's CFO announced that the company's electric vehicles (EVs) will not achieve profit margins comparable to gas-powered cars until at least 2030, pending the introduction of the new Scalable Systems Platform (SSP). This platform aims to reduce production costs by 20%. Currently, VW anticipates an operating margin of 4% to 5.5% for 2026, up from 2.8% in 2025. The company is focusing on improving EV profitability while facing declines in sales in major markets like North America and China.</p>

Volkswagen Says Its EVs Won't Make Gas-Car Money Until 2030