- VW may pull the plug on its partnership with Bosch despite significant investments.
- A report says the project hasn’t reached internal expectations for new autonomous tech.
- VW may lock in a new self-driving partnership before the end of September.
Most major manufacturers have spent upwards of a decade developing fully autonomous driving systems, promising they will fundamentally change the automotive industry. According to a new report, VW may have just shelved its major self-driving car project with Bosch.
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In 2022, VW’s software subsidiary CARIAD and Bosch partnered to develop a modular system for driver assistance and fully autonomous driving technologies. The plan was to use the jointly developed tech across all VW Group brands to better compete with rivals, including Tesla and Mercedes, as well as newer tech-focused firms from China.
Read: VW’s Software Firm And Bosch Working On Robot Tech To Park And Charge Your Car
Now, a report from the German newspaper Bild suggests that the project hasn’t met internal expectations, and despite an investment of roughly €1.5 billion ($1.7 billion), VW is apparently pulling the plug.
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It’s claimed that VW still sees a significant gap between its self-driving systems and those offered by competitors. The car giant is well aware of just how important these technologies will be to its models, so while it may be walking away from the Bosch partnership, it isn’t giving up on autonomy.
Looking For A New Partner
The same report indicates VW will purchase and develop the hardware and software needed for advanced self-driving systems with another partner, rather than developing the components itself, as it had been doing with Bosch. This should, in theory, allow VW to accelerate the development and roll-out of more advanced autonomous technologies, but it remains unclear if the group will be able to recoup any of the expenses it incurred from working with Bosch.
Bild claims that VW is already looking at options for other partners and could be ready to lock in a new agreement by the end of September. The German carmaker already has a partnership with Mobileye and is also working with Rivian on its new electric and software architecture, so they could be two options.
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