Volkswagen is reportedly considering Ontario, Canada, as a potential site for a dedicated battery facility. Reports suggest that the province is optimistic about the automaker’s plans, with Ontario reportedly offering investments and other incentives for the project.
This was not the first time that the idea of a Volkswagen battery cell plant in North America was brought forward. Back in December, Volkswagen Volkswagen Chief Executive Oliver Blume noted that Canada was “one logical option” for such a facility.
A look at the province’s lobby registry for January 2023 shows several entries that have been logged for Volkswagen. Interestingly enough, one of the entries specifically lists Volkswagen CEO Oliver Blume by name. Blume’s entry listed several subject matters for its lobbying, including economic development and trade, energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, and transportation, among others.
The entry also lists “lobbying targets” such as the Office of the Minister of Economic Development Job Creation and Trade and the Office of the Premier and Cabinet Office, as noted in Germany’s Handelsblatt business daily.
A spokesperson from Volkswagen opted not to provide a comment on the report from the German publication. The spokesperson, however, stated that a final decision on the local location of a potential North American factory is yet to be reached.
Similar to other veteran automakers, Volkswagen has launched a lineup of modern all-electric vehicles that are designed to be competitive in the emerging EV sector. But while Volkswagen’s ID line is yet to find solid footing in markets such as China, the company has continued to launch compelling all-electric cars like the ID.Buzz, the spiritual successor to the company’s beloved microbus from the 50s.
The ID.Buzz has proven to be quite popular, winning motoring publication Carwow‘s “WOW Car of the Year” award in the van category. Volkswagen Passenger Cars Brand CEO Thomas Schäfer has also noted that the company has received over 26,000 orders for the all-electric van.
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