Shanghai — Volkswagen’s (VW) namesake brand is gearing up to take on Tesla with plans to roll out four affordable electric vehicles in the coming years. The German company has made "huge progress" in reducing production costs of its all-electric vehicles, Christian Senger, head of the VW marque’s electric-car project, told reporters on Tuesday in Shanghai, where the nameplate is unveiling its first battery-powered cross-over. The models, to be sold under the ID sub-brand, will be partly developed in China and also include a mid-size sport utility vehicle, a hatchback and a sedan. "Offering our electric cars for prices similar to combustion engine vehicles really is a game changer," Senger said. "We’re using the need to step from combustion engine to electric cars to reinvent the VW brand," said the executive, a former developer of BMW’s battery-powered i3 model project. Electric models are a cornerstone of VW’s effort to emerge from its diesel-cheating scandal and comply with tighte...
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