Audi, Porsche, and Bentley may all have to reassess their electric vehicle plans as a result of troubles brewing at the Volkswagen Group’s software development arm, Cariad.
Automobilewoche cites unnamed sources within the companies who claim that Audi’s new electric flagship vehicle, being developed under the Artemis project, could launch as many as three years behind schedule.
The first vehicle based on the new electric platform was initially tipped to launch as early as in 2024. Powered by a second generation of software, it was supposed to be capable of Level 4 autonomous driving. Due to issues at Cariad, though, it will not be able to launch before 2026 and is likelier to actually come out in 2027.
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The German premium automaker is now pivoting to focus on a less ambitious model that could arrive in 2025 without that autonomous driving technology that was supposed to fend off competition from Tesla, BMW, and Mercedes. To do that, it will use an intermediate generation-1.2 software version. That was supposed to be completed in 2021, but is also far behind schedule, sources said.
The problems are also affecting Porsche and Bentley. Sources say that the British automaker’s plan to sell EVs only starting in 2030 is now doubtful because of the software delays.
Porsche, meanwhile, has already begun pre-series production of its upcoming Macan EV at its factory in Leipzig, but it may also have to pivot. “The hardware is great,” a Porsche source said, “but the software is still missing.”
In May, the Volkswagen Group’s supervisory board was reportedly demanding a reworked plan from Cariad. At the start of the year, it announced a partnership with Bosch to develop the software for advanced driver assistance systems, something that was seen by some as an admission of the issues it is facing.
Volkswagen is no stranger to software issues. The ID.3 was reportedly beset by “massive” software problems, as was the latest generation of the Golf. The issues have been noteworthy for the company, which has said that it will focus first on software in order to “cut development times by 25 percent.”
