Here's a reason to be excited about Volkswagen's plans to stop developing internal combustion engines after 2026: none of its new electric vehicles will be front-wheel-drive. Frankly, that makes a ton of sense, because there really isn't any upside to it anymore. Volkswagen of America Vice President of E-Mobility and Innovation Matthew Renna explained to Motor Trend that the benefits of making a front-wheel-drive car don't really apply to EVs:

Well, you get some benefits on an internal combustion engine [vehicle] from doing a front-engine, front-wheel-drive [layout] because you don't need the driveshafts and rear axles and all that. With an electric vehicle, you have a drive unit and some cables, so you can package that drive unit in the front if you want a front-wheel-drive car. And that would be efficient, but you're equally as efficient with that same motor in the rear, save a few pennies of copper to lengthen the cable. So, you know, with the improved dynamics of rear-wheel drive, that lends itself to being a bit better for a rear-drive platform given the fact that it's roughly cost-neutral.

And it's true! Front-wheel-drive has always been a cost-effective way to put everything needed to move the car in one bundle up front. It also allowed just a bit more interior room, as you didn't need to build a transmission tunnel back to the rear wheels. But with an EV drivetrain, you can lay out the batteries flat under the car should you so desire, or even in a big battery lump in the trunk if they want the traction benefits of putting weight over a set of rear drive wheels. (Ahem, this is me hinting that I'd like a new New Beetle.)

Volkswagen Here's the drivetrain and battery layout from the I.D. Buzz Cargo concept. There isn't one big lump sticking up like in an ICE car, but rather, a relatively flat array of batteries in the middle.

Of course, putting the weight of the engine over the drive wheels was always a benefit to front-wheel-drive in foul weather as well, but the fact that that weight tends to lift off the front of a car upon acceleration is why Volkswagen Head of Product Line Communications Christian Buhlmann told Motor Trend that an FWD electric vehicle is a non-starter for the company:

It doesn't make much sense because if you think of the starting torque that you have and the dynamic weight distribution, the weight is lifted from the front axle towards the rear axle. That's exactly where you need the torque to be in your acceleration moment. Therefore, it physically doesn't make sense to use only the front axle if you have the vehicle that offers a lot of torque right from the start.