Volkswagen prepares for production of new generation electric cars in Portugal

The Managing Director of Volkswagen in Portugal, Ricardo Vieira, has warned that Portugal has to expand the development of its network of electric charging points as electric vehicles continue to gain ground over traditional fuel-driven engines.

In an interview with the business daily ECO, he also said that today’s cars are no longer just about hardware since the “software has changed everything”.

Ricardo Vieira highlighted the growing role of remote updates in the industry that are changing the customer’s relationship with the car, and addressing the evolution of electric mobility, “which in our market is growing above the European average”.

“We are at a relatively advanced stage of electric vehicle adoption, and it reveals that half of Volkswagen’s sales in Portugal are already electrified vehicles”, he added.

Regarding the production of electric vehicles and the T-Roc at Autoeuropa, Ricardo Vieira underscores the strategic role of Autoeuropa for the Portuguese economy. “The T-Roc is inseparable from Portugal” and for the country’s industrial future, highlighting its potential. “Portugal has the conditions to be the European hub of the automotive industry,” emphasising the new generation of the T-Roc and the production of new urban electric models in Portugal.

Ricardo Vieira has a clear vision of the present and future of mobility and how Volkswagen, with almost 90 years of history, is preparing to lead the next decade. Volkswagen will be increasingly electric, digital, and technological, entering a new phase of democratising access to electric mobility.

Source: ECO Auto; Credits: LinkedIn, Briefing.