Volkswagen Group MEB platform

Volkswagen Group MEB platform
Herbert Diess presents the ID. line-up based on the MEB platform
Overview
ManufacturerVolkswagen Group
Production2019–present
Body and chassis
Layout
RelatedMQB Evo platform
PPE platform

The Volkswagen Group MEB platform (German: Modularer E-Antriebs Baukasten, lit. 'modular electric-drive toolkit') is a modular car platform for electric cars developed by the Volkswagen Group and its subsidiaries.

It is used in models of Audi, Cupra, Škoda, and Volkswagen, along with Ford through partnership. The architecture is aimed to "consolidate electronic controls and reduce the number of microprocessors, advance the application of new driver-assistance technology and somewhat alter the way cars are built" by the VW Group.

History and development

MEB was developed as part of Volkswagen Group's electrification strategy. In 2017, the Group announced its "Roadmap E" programme, which set a target of offering a battery-electric or hybrid version of each of its approximately 300 models by 2030.

In March 2018, Volkswagen announced that 16 production sites would be equipped to manufacture electric vehicles by the end of 2022. By May, it had awarded battery-supply contracts worth approximately €40 billion. In September, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles unveiled the MEB-based ID. Buzz Cargo concept.

Volkswagen opened MEB to other manufacturers in March 2019, seeking to reduce costs through economies of scale. Series production of the Volkswagen ID.3 started at the Zwickau plant in Germany on 4 November 2019. During 2020, MEB vehicle production expanded to Anting and Foshan in China. Škoda started building the Enyaq at Mladá Boleslav in the Czech Republic on 25 November that year.

The ID. Life concept, unveiled in September 2021, used a smaller MEB variant with front-wheel drive. Škoda began manufacturing MEB battery systems at Mladá Boleslav in May 2022. Volkswagen's Chattanooga plant in Tennessee began assembling the ID.4 in July 2022.

Volkswagen announced MEB+ in December 2022, with plans for faster charging and increased range. In 2023, it presented the ID.2all concept, which used the front-wheel-drive MEB Entry platform.

In September 2025, Volkswagen Group announced that the Cupra Raval, Škoda Epiq, Volkswagen ID. Polo and Volkswagen ID. Cross would use MEB+ as members of its Electric Urban Car Family. The Raval and ID. Polo entered production at Martorell, Spain, in June 2026. Epiq production also started that month at Volkswagen Navarra's plant in Pamplona.

Technical specifications

Volkswagen developed MEB specifically for electric cars, rather than adapting a platform shared with petrol and diesel models, as it had done with the e-Golf. The e-Golf's battery modules were fitted into several spaces beneath the floor, while MEB uses a large, flat battery pack between the axles. This allows for a longer wheelbase and more interior space.

MEB uses a 400-volt electrical system and the original battery packs contained lithium-ion cells grouped into modules inside a protective aluminium housing. The early Volkswagen ID.3 battery had 12 modules, each containing 24 cells. The system supported AC charging at up to 11 kW and DC fast charging at up to 125 kW.

The MEB+ introduced in 2026 added front-wheel drive for smaller cars such as the Volkswagen ID. Polo, alongside new electric motors and battery technology. The new batteries use cell-to-pack construction, removing the need for separate module housings. They are available with lithium iron phosphate (LFP) and nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) chemistry.

Models

MEB

As of 2026, the MEB platform underpins nine core models, with eight of them in active production, resulting in a total of 13 different vehicles.

(Sub-bullets indicate rebadged versions or derivatives of the same vehicle, e.g., coupe or cargo)

MEB+

Front-wheel-drive models

Rear-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive models

Concept vehicles

Sales to other manufacturers

In 2018, VW announced that it is open to sharing the platform with manufacturers outside of the VW Group. In addition to the platform, VW also offered individual components as well as top hat development and contract manufacturing.

Ford

In late 2018, the companies announced talks about the sharing of technology. Ford Motor Company became the first manufacturer outside Volkswagen Group to use MEB in production vehicles. The companies agreed to cooperate on electric vehicles in 2019, initially planning around 600,000 MEB-based cars. In March 2022, Ford increased its planned production volume to 1.2 million vehicles over six years.

The Explorer and Capri both entered production in 2024 at Ford's plant in Cologne, Germany. Ford also began assembling battery packs for the two models in Cologne in June 2025.

Mahindra

In 2022, Volkswagen began working with Indian car manufacturer Mahindra & Mahindra on the use of MEB components in Mahindra's own electric vehicle platform, INGLO. The companies signed a supply agreement in February 2024, covering electric components and battery cells, with a planned total battery capacity of around 50 GWh over the agreement's lifetime.

Volkswagen began supplying MEB components in June 2024, while deliveries of standardized battery cells from PowerCo remained planned. Mahindra uses the INGLO platform for its electric SUVs, including the BE 6, XEV 9e and XEV 9S.

Electric motors

Early MEB models used the APP310, a permanent-magnet synchronous motor mounted at the rear axle. All-wheel-drive versions add an induction motor at the front axle, which provides additional power when needed.

Drive unit Position Maximum output Maximum torque Example model
APP310 Rear 150 kW 310 Nm Volkswagen ID.3
APP550 Rear 240 kW 560 Nm Volkswagen ID.7
APP350 Rear 170 kW 350 Nm Volkswagen ID.3 Neo
APP290 Front 155 kW 290 Nm Volkswagen ID. Polo
AKA150 Front (all-wheel drive) 80 kW — Volkswagen ID.7 GTX

The MEB+ update in 2026 introduced two new drive units. The rear-mounted APP350 replaced the APP310 in most versions of the ID.3 Neo, while smaller front-wheel drive models such as the ID. Polo use a newly developed APP290. The latter has a Volkswagen-developed power inverter using silicon carbide semiconductors to reduce energy losses.

Production numbers

Model 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 Total
Volkswagen ID.3 50 64,259 73,738 83,432 142,216 363,695
Volkswagen ID.4/5 - 6,487 134,319 207,934 223,425 572,165
Škoda Enyaq iV - 939 49,811 57,213 86,732 194,695
Audi Q4 e-tron - - 27,519 58,764 125,441 211,724
Volkswagen ID.6 - - 20,461 38,846 15,926 75,233
Cupra Born - - 4,801 36,153 45,748 86,702
Audi Q5 e-tron - - 99 3,113 5,506 8,718
Volkswagen ID. Buzz - - - 11,013 35,272 46,285
Volkswagen ID.7 - - - - 8,592 8,592
Ford Explorer EV - - - - - 0
Ford Capri EV - - - - - 0
Annual 50 71,685 310,748 496,468 688,858 1,567,809

Global market share

2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
MEB production 50 71,685 310,748 496,468 688,858
Global BEV Sales 1,692,000 2,270,800 4,805,280 7,681,060
market share 0.00% 3.16% 6.47% 6.46% % % %

See also

References

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