The Volkswagen boss calls on the internal critics in the group to cooperate more with the software unit Cariad.
(Photo: dpa)
Dusseldorf Volkswagen will work with the US chip group Qualcomm to develop automated driving. On Tuesday, the carmaker announced the cooperation with the chip company. The Handelsblatt reported on this on Monday.
In a post on the career network LinkedIn, VW boss Herbert Diess makes the cooperation public. He also took the critics of VW’s software unit Cariad to task. It is one of the most ambitious projects in the industry and it will take two model cycles to open up future business.
“I would therefore like to say to the internal critics in the group: It is better to work together on progress than just to complain,” writes Diess in his post, to which he has attached a photo in which he is together with the Qualcomm boss Cristiano Amon and Qualcomm Automotive boss Nakul Duggal.
The software unit was recently heavily criticized. Almost two years after it was founded, progress has been limited so far. The development was greeted with skepticism both internally and in the industry.
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For Diess, on the other hand, there is a lot at stake with the Cariad. It is considered crucial for the future of the group whether the software for the car operating system and automated driving can keep up with competitors such as Tesla, BMW or Mercedes. Criticized by employee representatives, Diess wants to prove that he is capable of making progress in the automaker’s most important business.
That is why the CEO has made it his personal task to improve the cooperation between the Audi, VW and Porsche brands assembled in the Cariad. So far, the selfishness of brands has stood in the way. This is one of the reasons why Cariad cannot meet schedules, which means that models were introduced later. Among other things, the launch of the electric Porsche Macan was delayed.
The software is planned for expansion stage 1.2 for the electric SUV from the Stuttgart sports car manufacturer. It is a precursor to the software 2.0 that is to be launched with the Audi projects Artemis and Trinity and that is being developed on the basis of the Qualcomm chip. Their start is planned for 2025 or 2026. Expansion stage 1.2 was originally supposed to be completed this year.
Software problems delay the launch of new models
But with the software 1.2, it bumps a lot, which Volkswagen now also admits. It could be finished sometime in 2023 – and only then will the Macan come along, which Porsche has high hopes for.
The 1.2 version is primarily being developed using technology from Intel’s subsidiary Mobileye. Audi will also use this software in its vehicles. It should enable automated driving at level 2+. These include, for example, lane departure warning systems and the option of allowing vehicles to drive independently on the motorway for a limited time.
Diess emphasizes that the “very successful partnership with Mobileye” will be expanded and talks are already underway. However, it is questionable what role Mobileye can play in vehicles from 2026 onwards. They are said to be based on Qualcomm chips. It is therefore also unclear whether vehicles with the 1.2 software can be updated to version 2.0 at all if they lack the Qualcomm chip.
More: Volkswagen relies on chips from Qualcomm for automated driving