On April 28, CARIAD, a new software company under the Volkswagen Group in Germany, announced its China strategy and announced the official establishment of CARIAD's Chinese subsidiary. The CARIAD China team will drive software product development for Chinese consumers, including working with headquarters to develop a new unified and scalable software platform, advanced driver assistance systems and autonomous driving, and next-generation smart connected capabilities.
Dirk Hilgenberg, CEO of CARIAD, said: "China is one of the most dynamic and promising mobility markets in the world, and the establishment of the China subsidiary is another important milestone for CARIAD and demonstrates CARIAD's strong commitment to the Chinese market and local consumers. Together with the Chinese team, we will work towards the same goal and use software to 'weave' the future of mobility." ”
Changqing Chang, CEO of CARIAD's China subsidiary, said: "China is leading the world in digital applications and innovation, and consumers are increasingly demanding new features and new experiences. The establishment of the China team allows us to respond more quickly to the needs of the local market. Based on local customer experience and expectations, we will develop, iterate and continuously improve our products at Chinese speed. In addition, the China team will work closely with the Group's various brands in China and three joint venture partners to provide consumers with software-defined mobility solutions to achieve group scale at the software level. ”
Evergreen, CEO of CARIAD's China subsidiary
In line with the tenet of "R&D in China, Innovation for China; R&D in China, Innovation for the World", the CARIAD China team will promote the development of software products for Chinese consumers, including advanced driver assistance systems and autonomous driving, next-generation intelligent interconnection functions, intelligent cockpit and body design, big data and software operating systems. In addition, CARIAD's China subsidiary will work with its European headquarters to develop a unified and scalable software platform for all Of the Group's brands to meet the specific needs of different markets. The entire technology stack will be launched around 2025 and will be pre-equipped with L4 level autonomous driving technology.
Local software talents are an important support for the R&D strength of CARIAD's Chinese subsidiaries. By integrating talented people from the Volkswagen Group China, the Volkswagen brand and the Audi brand, CARIAD has assembled a strong Chinese team. CarIAD currently employs more than 600 people in China and plans to double by the end of 2023, with more than 90 percent of them going to be local software talent. At the same time, CARIAD China is building R&D forces in Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu and Hefei, and gradually building a national distributed R&D network.
Dr. Sun Wei, Chief Technology Officer of CARIAD China Subsidiary, said: "By accelerating the speed of R&D iteration, creating innovative software development concepts, and introducing a new technology system for Chinese consumers, we will more efficiently meet the diverse needs of local consumers, continue to provide them with a fresh, intelligent, interesting and safe travel experience, and ultimately achieve the goal of 'R&D in China, innovation for China'." ”
Sun Wei, Chief Technology Officer of CARIAD's China subsidiary
CARIAD's predecessor is the Car.Software Organisation, Volkswagen's software division established in 2020. At present, CARIAD has about 5,000 engineers and developers worldwide, and its main task is to build a unified software platform for all brands of the Volkswagen Group, including a unified and scalable architecture, Volkswagen's self-developed operating system VW.OS, and Volkswagen Cloud VW.AC. The new software platform is scheduled to be released in 2025. In addition, CARIAD is developing the vehicle's digital capabilities, including ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems), standardized infotainment systems, software functions for connecting powertrains, chassis and charging technologies, and new ecosystems for vehicles and new digital business models. (Baichuan)
(Image courtesy of Volkswagen official)