May 8, 2026 – Volkswagen Group’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Arno Antlitz, recently revealed during an earnings call that the profit margins of electric vehicles (EVs) still lag significantly behind those of internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. He emphasized that true profitability parity between EVs and ICE vehicles may only be achieved once the next-generation pure electric platform is implemented.
Antlitz pointed out that before the transition to key platform architectures is completed, the profit margins of Volkswagen’s EVs cannot match those of ICE vehicles. “We anticipate that profit margins will only become fully comparable once the future SSP platform arrives,” he stated.
According to Volkswagen’s official projections, it will take until at least the 2030s for EV profitability to catch up with or even surpass that of ICE vehicles. The critical turning point hinges on the comprehensive launch and production of the next-generation SSP platform.
The SSP platform is Volkswagen’s upcoming scalable system platform set to replace the existing MEB and PPE electric architectures. By relying on a unified architecture, high component commonality, and large-scale production, it aims to significantly reduce vehicle manufacturing costs.
However, until then, Volkswagen will have to rely on high-margin ICE vehicles to support its financial health while continuously controlling the research and development (R&D) and manufacturing costs of EVs. Simultaneously, the company is exploring new profit avenues such as software subscriptions and high-end EV models.
Originally scheduled for a debut this year, the SSP platform is now expected to be launched before 2030. Volkswagen hopes that the SSP platform will reduce production costs by 20% compared to the MEB platform.
Antlitz also mentioned that Volkswagen has already made progress in enhancing the profitability of its EVs, which will help the company meet European carbon emission targets without sacrificing profits. For instance, models based on the improved MEB Plus platform have started using lower-cost lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries and adopting a cell-to-pack battery structure.
