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Summary of article:
Volkswagen is reported to be considering transplanting the software architecture of Chinese market cars to mainstream European brands, which may affect its cooperation with Rivian and the group’s global software strategy.
Germany “Manager Magazine” today reported, citing sources, that Volkswagen may introduce the software architecture currently used in Chinese market models to European mass-market vehicles. The move could affect Volkswagen and the United States.electric car Partnership with startup Rivian.
German “Manager Magazine” reported that Volkswagen has cooperated with Chinese electric car manufacturer Xpeng Motors to develop “China Electronic Architecture” (China Electronic Architecture) for the Chinese market. In the future, it could become the basis for new models from the group’s main brands Volkswagen (VW), Skoda and Cupra.
Fox’s head of core brands, Thomas Schaefer, is expected to present the proposal to management on the 27th, the report said. The offer covers almost three-fourths of next-generation car models from these three brands. These brands are currently actively expanding their electric vehicle product lineup in Europe.
Fox declined to comment on the report.
Currently, Fox handles software development for the Chinese market and the Western market separately: the Chinese market uses architecture jointly developed with Xpeng, while the Western market develops independent technology with Rivian. Fox’s $5.8 billion investment in Rivian is at the center of CEO Oliver Bloom’s software strategy.
Fox has struggled to keep pace with industry developments in software development. The group has a wide range of car models, ranging from popular brands to high-end brands such as Audi and Porsche, which increases the difficulty of expanding the application of software technology. Cariad’s internal software department also faces related challenges.
Summary FAQ
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Volkswagen is reportedly considering introducing the “Chinese electronic architecture” developed in collaboration with Xpeng and currently used in cars in the Chinese market into mass-market cars in Europe as the basic platform for some new cars in the future.
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Since Fox is currently cooperating with Rivian to develop independent technology in the Western market, if it adopts Chinese architecture to expand its application, it may weaken the original division of labor, thereby affecting the cooperation status and strategic arrangement between the two parties.
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Volkswagen has long lagged behind in software development, and there are many tiers across its brands, from Volkswagen to Audi and Porsche, making it difficult to spread technology evenly. Even the internal Cariad department is facing integration pressure.
