Volkswagen to decide by early February on new planned Trinity plant - brand chief

BERLIN, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Volkswagen will decide by late January or early February whether it needs a new factory to build its upcoming electric Trinity model, brand chief Thomas Schaefer said in an interview with local newspapers in Wolfsburg on Tuesday.

Developing the brand was taking longer than planned in part because it was taking longer to develop the technology and get regulatory approval for hands-free autonomous driving, Schaefer said in a live interview with Wolfsburger Allgemeine Zeitung and Wolfsburger Nachrichten.

By the time the model is ready, production of some combustion engine cars may have already come to an end in the main Wolfsburg plant, creating space to build the Trinity there instead of investing in a new factory, he explained. (Reporting by Victoria Waldersee, Jan Schwartz Editing by Miranda Murray)