>>1640806It's not even an automobile.
The CarGoTram is a freight tram that uses existing tram lines to take car components from freight train terminal to the current Volkswagen factory in Dresden, called the Gläserne Manufaktur (Transparent Factory).
The city of Dresden was very happy to see the investment of VW into the city, as well as the jobs it would create. Residents didn't want a loud, polluting factory in the city though, so a compromise was reached.
The factory would be forbidden from using pneumatic tools, and any heavy duty fabrication would be conducted off-site.
Part of the plans was to stop HGVs from clogging up the roads. Instead, the plan of using the CarGoTram for last mile delivery came up, and components, except for the monocoque body, would be delivered to the factory by the tram. The rolling stock consisted of recycled Tatra T4 bogies and motors.
Anyway... the factory produced the Volkswagen Phaeton from 2002 until 2016. The luxury sedan didn't really sell much, and was made famous for its ridiculous devaluation that occurred upon purchase and was astronomical per kilometre driven. The car was also notable for its W10 configuration diesel engine, a technology which would later be implied in the Bugatti Veyron (a VW Group brand).
In 2017, the factory was retooled and started manufacturing the VW e-Golf. The factory made 8 e-Golfs a day, while the main factory in Wolfsburg would make another 8, totalling 16 a day...
The e-Golf stopped being sold in 2019 and production of the e-Golf continued until the end of the order backlog for the model.
Starting December 2020, the factory started manufacturing the VW ID.3 and due to the difference in production and component requirements, the CarGoTram stopped being needed and was mothballed.
