Volkswagen Hits 2 Million EV Deliveries: The Messy but Real Legacy Transformation | Taha Abbasi

Volkswagen Reaches a Historic 2 Million EV Deliveries Milestone

Technology executive Taha Abbasi reports that Volkswagen has just delivered its 2 millionth fully electric vehicle — an ID.3 produced at VW’s Zwickau factory and delivered to a customer at the company’s iconic Transparent Factory in Dresden, Germany. The milestone marks a significant chapter in one of the automotive industry’s most ambitious electrification transformations.

While 2 million EVs may seem modest compared to Tesla’s cumulative deliveries (which passed 7 million in 2025), the context matters enormously. Volkswagen is the world’s second-largest automaker by volume, and its electrification journey involves transforming a century-old industrial complex spanning dozens of brands, hundreds of factories, and millions of workers worldwide. This isn’t a startup built for EVs — it’s a legacy empire learning to reinvent itself.

The Zwickau Transformation Story

The milestone vehicle’s origin at VW’s Zwickau factory is symbolically perfect. Zwickau was the first Volkswagen facility to be completely converted from internal combustion engine production to dedicated electric vehicle manufacturing. The transformation required billions of euros in investment, complete retooling of production lines, and retraining of thousands of workers.

As Taha Abbasi notes, Zwickau represents a template for the industrial transition that every legacy automaker must eventually undergo. The factory now produces multiple MEB-platform vehicles including the ID.3, ID.4, ID.5, and various Audi and CUPRA electric models. Its success (and struggles) provide valuable lessons for the dozens of other VW Group factories that will undergo similar transitions in the coming years.

The ID Family: Hits and Misses

VW’s electric journey has been anything but smooth. The ID.3, while a solid vehicle, failed to replicate the cultural impact of the original Golf in the EV era. The ID.4, VW’s compact electric SUV, has been the volume leader but faces intense competition from the Tesla Model Y and an increasingly crowded field of electric crossovers. The ID. Buzz — the electric reimagining of the classic VW Microbus — has generated enormous enthusiasm but at price points that limit its volume potential.

Software has been VW’s Achilles’ heel. The CARIAD software division, established to develop VW’s in-house vehicle operating system, has been plagued by delays, cost overruns, and leadership turnover. Multiple vehicles launched with incomplete software that required post-delivery updates — a stark contrast to Tesla’s industry-leading over-the-air update capabilities.

The SSP Platform: VW’s Next Generation

VW’s next-generation SSP (Scalable Systems Platform) represents the company’s answer to many of these challenges. Expected to underpin vehicles from the late 2020s, SSP promises a unified software architecture, improved manufacturing efficiency, and performance specifications competitive with the latest EVs from Tesla, BYD, and Hyundai.

Taha Abbasi observes that SSP is essentially VW’s equivalent of Tesla’s next-generation vehicle platform — a ground-up rethink of how electric vehicles should be designed, manufactured, and maintained. The platform’s success or failure will likely determine whether VW remains a major force in the EV era or gradually cedes market share to more nimble competitors.

China: The Existential Battleground

Perhaps VW’s greatest challenge is China, historically its largest and most profitable market. Chinese EV makers — led by BYD, NIO, XPeng, and Li Auto — have decimated VW’s market share in the world’s largest auto market. VW’s joint ventures in China are investing heavily in locally developed EVs, but catching up to BYD’s vertically integrated, fast-iterating model is proving extraordinarily difficult.

The contrast is stark: while VW celebrates 2 million global EV deliveries, BYD alone is selling over 400,000 new energy vehicles per month in China. The competitive pressure from Chinese manufacturers is not just a VW problem — it’s reshaping the entire global automotive industry.

What 2 Million EVs Means for the Industry

Despite the challenges, VW’s 2 million EV milestone carries significant weight for several reasons. First, it demonstrates that legacy automakers can successfully transition manufacturing at scale — a question that was genuinely open just five years ago. Second, VW’s massive dealer network provides EV access to markets and demographics that Tesla and other EV-focused brands don’t fully reach.

Third, and perhaps most importantly, VW’s investment in electrification has a multiplier effect across the European automotive supply chain. Thousands of suppliers, from battery makers to charging equipment manufacturers, have made investment decisions based on VW’s electrification commitments. The 2 million milestone validates those bets.

Taha Abbasi sees this as a reminder that the EV transition isn’t just a Tesla story or a BYD story — it’s an industrial transformation affecting every major automaker on the planet. VW’s journey from diesel scandal to 2 million electric vehicles is messy, imperfect, and far from complete. But it’s happening, and the 2 millionth delivery proves the point.

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About the Author: Taha Abbasi is a technology executive, CTO, and applied frontier tech builder. Read more on Grokpedia | YouTube: The Brown Cowboy | tahaabbasi.com