Volkswagen Passenger Cars (VW) is working flat out to automate the production process with the purchase of more than 1,400 Fanuc robots for its production facilities at Chattanooga in the USA and its German plant in Emden.

Meanwhile Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles has ordered a further 800 robots for its Hanover plant from ABB of Switzerland. The robots are to be mainly used for body production and battery assembly.

The three plants are currently being prepared for the production of electric cars using highly advanced facilities. From 2022, the ID.41 is to be produced at Chattanooga (USA) and Emden, while the model known under the show car name of ID. BUZZ2 will roll off the production line at Hanover.

Christian Vollmer, Member of the Board of Management of the VW brand responsible for production and logistics, said: “At Emden and Chattanooga, we are developing two of the most advanced production facilities in the automotive industry for the transformation to e-mobility. We are investing in the latest technologies such as digitalisation and automation for this purpose.”

The ID. BUZZ is to be produced at the Hanover plant of VW Commercial Vehicles from 2022. Josef Baumert, Member of the Board of Management of VW Commercial Vehicles responsible for production and logistics, said: “Our conversion work is proceeding to schedule. With the launch of the ID. BUZZ, we will complete the modernisation of our Hanover plant currently in progress, which will also benefit all the other models produced at this location.”

In total, VW plans to invest €33 billion by 2024 with a view to becoming the world leader in e-mobility, and several billion euros are to be invested in these three plants alone.