In a tweet, Volkswagen CEO Herbert Diess challenges Tesla to a race, implying that the group is working on a three-motor electric vehicle.
With fines of up to €100 million pending from the European Union for failing to meet CO2 emissions standards by 2020, it’s evident to the German automaker that it has to step up its efforts to survive the transition to electric vehicles.
Tesla’s “Giga Berlin” electric car plant, which is being constructed in Grünheide, Brandenburg, will signal a new onslaught of Tesla electric cars once it is finished, according to CEO Diess.
It’s not just the specter of Tesla’s Model Y crossover; it’s also the extreme fervor that surrounds Elon Musk, Tesla’s charismatic and creative CEO and co-founder, whose appearance on Twitter has taken on a god-like status for others.
Volkswagen, on the other hand, is also clawing its way out of the 2015 “Dieselgate” crisis, despite new pollution fines.
According to Euro News, recent decisions in the EU’s top court found that VW owners who purchased cars equipped with the so-called “defeat device” that allowed the company to cheat on pollution checks could sue the company in their own countries rather than in Germany, potentially opening the door to further lawsuits.
Although Volkswagen’s ID.3 – the first in its all-electric ID series – has already topped EV sales in Europe, it remains to be seen how long it will keep that spot until initial orders are filled.
As a result, it’s no wonder that Diess has made the latest announcement on Musk’s favorite social media platform, Twitter.
But first, Diess, who only joined Twitter in December, took a moment to poke fun at Musk with a funny comment:”
“Trinity comes after NEO (ID.-Project) and will revolutionize Volkswagen – and especially Wolfsburg – even more!” Diess wrote in a late Thursday tweet.
“A huge challenge for our most traditional and historic site to compete against a greenfield in Grünheide. But we take on the challenge!”
It’s just logical to believe that the term “Trinity” applies to a three-motor electric car.
Diess has made no secret of the fact that Volkswagen is years behind Tesla in electric vehicle production.
It released a video in September of its Tesla Model S with the tri-motor drivetrain, which it plans to release in 2021.
It also has a Cybertruck with a tri-motor drivetrain that will be manufactured at the new Texas gigafactory.
Meanwhile, Musk, who became the world’s richest man in early January when Tesla’s stock rose and his fortune surpassed $184 billion, revealed on Twitter on Friday morning that he would contribute $100 million to an award for the “best carbon capture technology.”
Am donating $100M towards a prize for best carbon capture technology
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 21, 2021
Though he quickly added that more information would be released next week, concerns remain about Musk’s decision to invest millions in carbon capture.
