We see the first sign of major commitment to electrification by the Volkswagen Group in an announcement on Friday. They've started production on their first vehicle plant that's entirely dedicated toward constructing their EV platform, the MEB.

The plant is located near Shanghai, China, the same general area as Tesla's upcoming megaplant. With over 150 acres of land, the plant expects to have 1,400 autonomous robots. VW Group claims that the facility will include a number of modern amenities, such as artificial intelligence, augmented reality, and virtual reality. The first vehicle to come out of the facility will be an electric SUV for a SAIC-Volkswagen joint venture starting in 2020.

Alongside the MEB vehicles, the plant will also produce batteries. The company is placing a special focus on environmental friendliness, employing 27 different technologies made for minimizing the carbon footprint. This ranges from water preservation to carbon dioxide reduction.

Vehicles using the new MEB platform can expect greater interior space. With more of the powertrain system based underneath the vehicle, where a drive shaft would be, car designers can make greater use of the larger freedom on the sides, front, and back.