Here’s Your First Look At Volkswagen’s Revolutionary New EV

In January, Volkswagen shared the name “Project Trinity” for a brand new electric vehicle that will be more revolutionary than even the new ID.4. At the time, the company said that the new architecture upon which the EV was based would set new benchmarks for charging speed and range. Well, we now have our first teaser of the new sedan which has a distinctive fastback design and will launch in 2026. Notably, it will be ready for Level 4 autonomous driving – only yesterday, Honda revealed the first production car with Level 3 self-driving technology. CEO of VW Ralf Brandstatter described Trinity as “our software dream car.”

Trinity will mark a departure from the way Volkswagens are produced, with far fewer derivatives and hardware that will be standardized. With a heavily digital ecosystem, drivers will be able to activate features whenever they want them. Already, we’ve seen the rapidly increasing availability of over-the-air updates which can equip newer cars with new features as they become available. The advantage, of course, is a simplified production line that doesn’t have to cater to an endless array of variations. “In the future, the individual configuration of the vehicle will no longer be determined by the hardware at the time of purchase,” said Brandstatter.

VW didn’t actually share any further information about Trinity, so we’ll have to wait a bit longer for the technical details of this advanced sedan. We do know that by the time of its launch, it will achieve Level 2+ automation and it will “be technically ready for Level 4.” If VW’s claims hold true, it’ll have to have a range of well over 500 miles; already, Tesla claims a 520-mile range for its Model S Plaid+. Other Volkswagen EVs like the ID.3 hatchback sold in other markets and the ID.4 crossover sold in the US will set a strong foundation, but it looks like Project Trinity will take VW’s electrification plans to another level entirely.