Abstract:
According to Reuters, the German media Manager Magazine quoted sources as saying that Volkswagen is considering introducing the software architecture currently used in Chinese market models into European mass market models. The move could put its U.S. partner Rivian at risk of being marginalized.
According to reports, the "China Electronics and Electrical Architecture" jointly developed by Volkswagen and Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer Xpeng Motors may become the technical basis for future models of the Volkswagen Group's Volkswagen, Skoda and Cupra brands. The three brands are expanding their electric vehicle lineups in Europe.
Manager Magazine stated that Thomas Schäfer, head of the Volkswagen brand, is expected to propose this plan to management on Tuesday local time. The program will cover about three-quarters of the next-generation models of the above three brands.
Volkswagen declined to comment for this report.
Up to now, Volkswagen has adopted a market-specific development approach in software architecture. The Chinese market uses an architecture developed in partnership with Xpeng, while the Western market uses another set of technologies developed with Rivian. Volkswagen's investment in Rivian is US$5.8 billion, and this cooperation is an important part of Volkswagen Group CEO Oliver Blume's software strategy.
Reuters pointed out that Volkswagen has struggled to keep up with the industry pace in software development. The group has many models, ranging from mass-market brands to high-end brands such as Audi and Porsche, which makes it difficult to promote software on a large scale between different models. Cariad, the group's internal software department, also faces similar difficulties.
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