A new boss comes with a new set of laws. With Oliver Blume now in charge of the Volkswagen Group, his management team has sent the prestigious Trinity model back to the drawing board. But unfortunately, they weren’t happy with the original design proposal.

As a flagship model, the Trinity was supposed to hit the showroom as a limousine model under the reign of former CEO of the VW Group, Herbert Diess, and his right hand at the brand under those times, Ralf Brandstätter.

This choice of body type would have made it technically possible to achieve a record aerodynamic value (the goal was a Cw of under 0.23) with a subsequent favorable range while still appealing to the taste of major markets like China and the US.

A complete redesign

Blume and the new brand CEO, Thomas Schäfer, beg to differ. Having a more customer-oriented cross-over in mind, the managers have demanded a complete redesign, according to the German newspaper Automobilwoche.

Reportedly, the spirit of the project hasn’t been put at stake. Instead, the Trinity must be a forerunner in autonomous driving technology and connectivity and showcase Volkswagen’s know-how and leadership in electrification.

However, building and marketing a flagship as a general brand isn’t an easy task. Volkswagen should know, as it struggled to tackle the Mercedes S-Class with the Phaeton series under the direction of Ferdinand Piëch.

Like Mercedes?

The newspaper states, however, that no final decision on Trinity has been taken yet. We must bear in mind that also, under the first proposal, an SUV-like body type was on the table, only to follow after the sedan. In that sense, the plan mimicked Mercedes again with the EQS and the EQS SUV strategy.

Rethinking the concept logically bears consequences for the timeline. For example, while Trinity was supposed to be commercialized in 2026, it seems this date has been postponed to two years later.

However, next to the new body style, this is also due to the software hiccups Volkswagen is experiencing with its developer subsidiary Cariad. Their new electronic architecture has already led to delays for the all-electric Porsche Macan. For Trinity, Cariad must prep Level 4 software 2.0.

New software strategy

It is one of Blume’s priorities after Diess failed to get a grip on digitalization and enhanced connectivity to launch a renewed software strategy to secure the electrification program of the company.

As for now, the developers are upgrading the existing 1.0 version of the software platform, which, as version 1.2, has received a new name for the premium brands Audi and Porsche. It will be called Software Premium until 2.0 is put in place. This is not to be expected before 2028.