The German automaker cannot cope with the crisis in the IT division of Cariad, which is developing an integrated next-generation operating system for all brands of the concern . This crisis has led to another postponement of the release of new models to the market.
We have already talked more than once about the consequences of the crisis in the Cariad division, created in 2021 to speed up and reduce the cost of software development within the Volkswagen group. In fact, it turned out not quickly and cheaply, but long and expensively; the level of project management in Cariad turned out to be critically low and led to a disruption in the launch schedule of new models of almost all of the concern's subsidiary brands.
The crisis at Cariad was the main reason for the resignation of VW CEO Herbert Diess last year and forced VW management to extend the life cycle of the modular MEB platform. In 2021, it was assumed that MEB would be replaced by a new SSP platform (Scalable Systems Platform) in 2024, and now, as Automotive News Europe reports citing insiders, the development of SSP and related software is being completely revised and it is unknown when it will eventually be launched – at best at the end of this decade.
Slide from the VW presentation at the beginning of 2021, it is already not relevant, but useful for analyzing the current state of affairs
Cariad is developing two new generations of the integrated operating system – E³ 1.2 and E³ 2.0. The E³ 1.2 system is intended mainly for new premium electric vehicles on the modular PPE (Premium Platform Electric) platform with 800-volt architecture, its first carrier will be the mid-size electric crossover Audi Q6 e-tron – it was planned that it will enter the market at the end of this year, but until its full premiere took place, in September at the Munich Motor Show only its interior was completely declassified. Due to problems with the development of the E³ 1.2 system, the launch of the Audi Q6 e-tron will now take place in the spring of 2024 at best.
Audi Q6 e-tron
In turn, the SSP platform in conjunction with the E³ 2.0 system has turned into a long-term construction project with unclear prospects: as part of the Cariad restructuring, the Volkswagen concern intends to lay off about 2,000 employees, which clearly will not speed up development. How this will affect the release schedule of new products from other brands is anyone's guess. Parent brand Volkswagen presented its plan for launching new models in early October, it runs until 2028 inclusive, and it will probably have to be adjusted again.
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