Volkswagen Group Produces 5 Millionth Electric Drive Unit

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Volkswagen Group has achieved another electric vehicle milestone this week. The German auto giant has just produced its 5 millionth electric drive unit. This was achieved across a handful of factories.

“The Volkswagen Group has reached a milestone in producing five million electric drive units worldwide. This collective achievement by the Győr, Kassel, Tianjin and Zuffenhausen plants underscores the performance capabilities of the Group-wide technology and production alliance as well as the systematic scale-up of e-mobility across the different brands and regions,” the company shares.

“Volkswagen Group Components’ competence network is a key enabler here — the Kassel plant alone increased production of electric drives in 2025 by around 24 percent year-on-year to over 850,000 units.” 850,000 units! I imagine we’ll be seeing the company reach 10 million electric drive units soon!

Volkswagen also emphasized that it has developed a super efficient electric powertrain. “The most popular electric drive within the Group at present is the APP550, used for example in Volkswagen’s ID. family as well as in the Škoda Enyaq and CUPRA Tavascan. To date, one million units of the APP550 have been manufactured at the Group Components plant in Kassel. This drive system is raising the bar in the Volkswagen Group’s volume segment in terms of efficiency, driving dynamics and acoustics. Despite having the same dimensions as the predecessor model, it consumes around 20 percent less energy but increases torque and power by around 75 percent and 40 percent respectively — a marked improvement with respect to range, acceleration and noise levels. In series production the APP550 delivers up to 240 kW and up to 560 Nm. The combined oil and water cooling system optimizes temperature control without requiring an additional pump. The APP550 success story reaffirms that the Volkswagen Group worldwide upholds the highest standards of quality in vehicle development and production.”

Some people like to claim that legacy automakers, and Volkswagen in particular, are not particularly innovative any more in the new electric car era. However, it seems clear that these are notable improvements in a key component of EVs. Here’s a bit more from the company on such matters in the midst of this milestone achievement:

“The Volkswagen Group’s integrated network is responsible for the entire development of the electric drive systems – from engineering and industrialization to power electronics and all the way up to logistics. Centers of expertise in this network such as the Volkswagen Group Components plant in Kassel help to bring key technologies like electric drives and pulse inverters into series production. […]

“The pulse inverter that the Volkswagen Group is independently launching is a key component of electric drive systems. The inverter developed by Volkswagen Group Components will have advantages over externally sourced inverters by allowing for faster product development, cost reductions and more independent production – for future electric drive systems across multiple brands. What is more, using silicon carbide as a semiconductor material in the new APP290 electric motor will deliver noticeable benefits for the models in the Electric Urban Car Family (including the ID. Polo, Škoda Epiq and CUPRA Raval) by increasing their range and improving performance in everyday driving. Currently, the APP290 electric motor developed and manufactured within the Group is expected to be available for several performance levels ranging from 85 kW (116 PS) to 166 kW (226 PS). It uses 400V technology.”

Let’s look forward to another 5 million produced soon.