Volkswagen has announced plans to build 10 million electric cars as it gears up for mass production by the end of 2022.

Thomas Ulbrich, head of electric mobility at the German carmaker told audiences at a presentation in Dresden of plans to build 27 models under four group plans, all based on its new modular MEB platform (modular electrification kit) technology, with the Volkswagen ID the first model to go into production at its plant in Zwickau, Germany, late next year.

“In the first wave alone, around 10 million VW group cars will be based on this platform,” Ulbrich said in comments reported by Reuters.

VW joined the worldwide race to mass produce electric vehicles following a widely reported scandal around diesel emissions testing.

The company has said it plans to invest £5.32 billion in e-car production, enabling it to go up against rival manufacturers BMW and the US firm Tesla, which has suffered a number of setbacks in production of its Model 3 along with PR challenges following controversial public statements made by its chief executive Elon Musk.

Reuters reported that VW did not give a timeline for the forecast but stood by its target of selling 2 million vehicles per year by 2025 as it develops the 50 battery-powered group models.

VW’s announcement came after Tusk admitted on Sunday that Tesla was experiencing issues with logistics and distribution of completed vehciles after a disgruntled customer complained on Twitter that her delivery had been pushed back on several occasions.

In a Tweet Musk apologised for the delivery delays and vowed to address the issue. He wrote: “Sorry, we've gone from production hell to delivery logistics hell, but this problem is far more tractable.”

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