The Volkswagen Group’s in-house software unit, Cariad, has been in trouble for quite some time, and it’s only getting worse. Now, its ambitious software platform 2.0 is being delayed to allow important new electric Audi and Porsche models to go on sale.
In October, we reported that Porsche was forced to delay the launch of the new Macan, which was bound to be its first all-electric crossover. At the time, a Porsche source said that the hardware behind the crossover was great, but that the “software is still missing.”
Part of an ambitious vision for the future of the brand, the platform that was meant to underpin the new Macan, as well as a host of premium vehicles from Audi and Bentley, was supposed to be capable of powering Level 4 autonomous driving, and was set to be available next year.
Read: VW Cariad’s Software Issues Trigger Delay Of Porsche Macan EV
Now, Volkswagen’s chief operating officer, Arno Antlitz, says that the automaker has pivoted to concentrating on a Software 1.2 platform, which will underpin the new Macan and the Audi Q6 e-tron next year, per Autonews.
“There will be great cars on that platform… that gives us a little flexibility to postpone 2.0 to 2027, 2028,” said Antlitz.
A major cause of consternation for the Volkswagen empire, Cariad was supposed to bring all of the automaker’s software development in-house. That would allow it to build a platform specifically for its needs, and one that could be used in every vehicle it made.
However, problems have long plagued it, and fixing Cariad has been one of CEO Oliver Blume’s primary focuses since inheriting the role in September. To that end, the subsidiary’s leader, Dirk Hilgenberg, is being replaced by Peter Bosch, Bentley’s production chief, and he will be joined by two software experts to stack its management board.
“This will be a very strong team that focuses on the turnaround of Cariad,” Antlitz said, who added that Cariad is looking for external help to slow the rate at which it’s burning through cash. That should also help VW get more EVs out into the world, allowing it to achieve its ultimate goal of being a leader in electrification.
