Volkswagen Group EV Platforms

This article summarizes the Volkswagen Group’s major EV platforms across Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche, Škoda, SEAT/CUPRA, and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles. A platform is not just a chassis. It is a layered system that shapes real-world behavior: charging curve stability, sustained performance, thermal limits, software longevity, and autonomy headroom.

What an EV platform controls

A modern EV platform is best understood as four tightly coupled layers. These layers determine how the vehicle behaves more than most isolated specs.

• Structural and energy layer: pack layout, crash structure, suspension hard points, wheelbase scalability
• Electrical and compute architecture: centralized vs zonal design, in-vehicle networking, controller consolidation
• Thermal and power management: battery cooling, drive unit and inverter cooling, heat pump integration
• Software and OTA capability: vehicle OS direction, telemetry, OTA scope, ADAS and autonomy integration

Volkswagen Group EV platform roadmap

The roadmap below is arranged as a practical ladder: current volume platforms, the small-EV branch, the premium branch, and the next-generation SDV direction.

• MEB: current high-volume EV platform family (Volkswagen, Škoda, SEAT/CUPRA, and some Audi EVs)
• MEB Entry (small-EV branch / “urban car” family): compact, cost-optimized BEVs
• PPE: premium EV platform developed jointly by Audi and Porsche
• J1: high-performance Porsche/Audi GT platform lineage (sports/GT emphasis)
• SSP: next-generation, fully digitalized mechatronics platform intended to unify future EV generations

Volkswagen Group platforms are intentionally shared across their marquee brands. Volkswagen, Škoda, SEAT/CUPRA, and Audi can share the same base architecture (pack layout, electrical topology, thermal strategy, and core modules), then differentiate through body design, tuning, interiors, software UX, and feature packaging. Porsche and Audi co-develop premium platforms when performance, charging, and chassis requirements exceed the volume platform envelope. Platform sharing improves scale, reduces BOM variance, and accelerates SDV-aligned feature rollout across many nameplates.

Volkswagen Group EV platform lineup

Platform	Primary Use	Voltage / Charging	Architecture Direction	Representative Examples
MEB	Mainstream passenger EVs across Volkswagen, Škoda, SEAT/CUPRA; selected Audi EVs	400 V-class with widespread DC fast charging; program-dependent peak rates	Gen-1 high-volume BEV platform optimized for cost, packaging, and scale	Volkswagen ID.3 / ID.4 / ID.7, Škoda Enyaq, CUPRA Born / Tavascan, Audi Q4 e-tron
MEB Entry	Smaller, lower-cost EVs (entry segment) across Volkswagen, Škoda, SEAT/CUPRA	Typically 400 V-class; charging targets vary by model generation	Cost-optimized small-EV branch designed for affordable, high-scale production	ID.2-class small EV family and related small crossovers (model names vary by brand and market)
PPE	Premium and performance-oriented EVs (Audi + Porsche)	800 V-class fast charging with premium thermal and power management targets	Premium EV platform co-developed for higher performance envelopes than MEB	Audi Q6 e-tron, Audi A6 e-tron, Porsche Macan Electric (and future PPE-based models)
J1	High-performance sports/GT EVs (Porsche + Audi GT)	800 V-class architecture (sports/GT emphasis)	Performance-focused platform lineage optimized for sustained power and chassis dynamics	Porsche Taycan, Audi e-tron GT
SSP	Next-generation unified EV platform direction across the Group	TBD (public targets vary by future vehicle and generation)	SDV-first direction; uniform system architecture intended to replace multiple prior platform families over time	Future Volkswagen Group EV generations (compact through premium; rollout is staged)

MEB (Modular Electric Drive Matrix)

MEB is the Group’s high-volume EV platform family used broadly across Volkswagen, Škoda, SEAT/CUPRA, and selected Audi EVs. Its value is scale: standardized modules, cost control, and repeatable packaging across many vehicle classes.

What MEB tends to enable:

• High-volume EV manufacturing across multiple sub-brands
• Consistent packaging and interior space efficiency across body styles
• Broad ecosystem compatibility (charging networks, service patterns, parts commonality)

See the MEB platform.

MEB Entry (Small-EV branch)

MEB Entry is the cost-optimized small-EV direction, designed to enable affordable, compact EVs across multiple brands. For many buyers, this branch matters because it targets mass adoption price points while retaining dedicated-EV packaging advantages.

What MEB Entry tends to focus on:

• Lower-cost EV packaging sized for urban and compact segments
• High manufacturing scale across multiple brands and plants
• Pragmatic charging and efficiency targets appropriate for the segment

See the MEB Entry platform.

PPE (Premium Platform Electric)

PPE is the premium EV platform co-developed by Audi and Porsche for vehicles where performance, charging, and chassis requirements exceed the mainstream platform envelope. It is designed to support higher power, more advanced thermal management, and premium vehicle architectures.

What PPE tends to enable:

• 800 V-class charging behavior and premium thermal design targets
• Higher sustained performance and stronger chassis dynamics capability
• Premium electrical architecture evolution aligned to longer software lifecycles

See the PPE platform.

J1 (Sports/GT platform lineage)

J1 is the high-performance sports/GT platform lineage underpinning vehicles like the Porsche Taycan and Audi e-tron GT. It is optimized for repeated high-power demand and chassis dynamics rather than pure cost scaling.

What J1 tends to enable:

• High-performance power delivery and repeated acceleration consistency
• Premium suspension and chassis architectures tuned for dynamics
• 800 V-class electrical architecture suitable for high-rate fast charging

See the J1 platform.

SSP (Scalable Systems Platform)

SSP is the next-generation platform direction intended to unify future EV generations around a more uniform, SDV-aligned system architecture. The key takeaway: SSP is positioned as a consolidation step that reduces platform fragmentation and improves long-term software and electronics consistency across a much wider vehicle range.

What SSP is intended to focus on:

• More uniform electronics and software architecture across many vehicle classes
• Higher controller consolidation and stronger SDV patterns (OTA scope, telemetry, feature evolution)
• Staged rollout: multiple years of coexistence with earlier platforms

See the SSP platform.

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