VW is apparently consolidating ADAS development under Audi’s leadership
Volkswagen is reportedly establishing a unit called “OneTeam” to accelerate the development of driver assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving. Manuel Birke, a manager at Cariad, will take charge of this unit and report to Audi’s development board member Rouven Mohr.
Volkswagen’s partnership with Cariad and former partner Bosch (Archive)
Image: CARIAD
Volkswagen appears set to restructure the development of driver assistance systems and automated driving functions in Europe. Under the new organizational unit “OneTeam,” specialists in ADAS from the software subsidiary Cariad and the group’s own brands are expected to work more closely together. This unit is scheduled to begin operations in November and will be led by Manuel Birke, who currently serves as Cariad’s head of driver assistance systems technology. This information comes from reports by news agency dpa and “Automobilwoche,” based on a communication sent to employees via Volkswagen’s intranet.
The most notable aspect is the new hierarchy: Birke is supposed to report to Audi’s development board member Rouven Mohr in his role. With this move, Audi takes the lead and assumes responsibility for the group-wide ADAS development. “We are establishing clear accountability by leading with the Audi brand and leveraging our technical expertise together for everyone,” wrote Volkswagen’s group development chief Werner Tietz in the company intranet, according to “Automobilwoche.” The new structure is intended to accelerate development and create a technology platform usable across the group.
A new start for cooperation
With OneTeam, Volkswagen is also attempting to ease tensions between Audi and Cariad. Audi CEO Gernot Döllner is regarded as a critic of the software subsidiary. In the past, issues with software development have delayed the launch of important models. For example, the Audi Q6 e-tron hit the market later than originally planned. This reorganization can therefore be seen as an effort to more clearly assign responsibility for progress and delays.
It remains unclear whether Audi aims to exert greater control over development within the group through this move or to hold itself more accountable. The new unit is intended to consolidate capabilities, so that each brand does not have to develop its driver assistance systems independently. It is not yet known how many employees will be part of OneTeam or exactly how the responsibilities vis-à-vis Cariad will change. A separate company appears to be not planned for now either.
Cariad is seeking a new technology partner
The restructuring comes at a difficult time for Cariad. Volkswagen originally established the software subsidiary to develop software across the group and reduce reliance on external suppliers. The company now places more emphasis on partnerships. The collaboration between Cariad and Bosch on automated driving functions was terminated early in July. Meanwhile, Cariad is cutting around 1,000 jobs in Germany.
For driver assistance systems up to SAE Level 2+, Cariad and Bosch jointly developed a technology stack that is set to be used for the first time in the planned electric compact car ID. Every1. However, for higher levels of automation up to SAE Level 4, Volkswagen requires further technological advancements. According to a report by Spiegel, the company has chosen the British AI startup Wayve in an internal comparison. A final contract has not yet been confirmed.
Nvidia Also Part of the Technology Ecosystem
The extent to which Volkswagen is expanding its technology partnerships was also demonstrated at Nvidia’s GTC conference in Berlin on October 21st and 22nd. The U.S. company unveiled new collaborations related to autonomous driving there. Volkswagen Nutzfahrzeuge presented the autonomous ID. Buzz AD based on Nvidia’s Hyperion platform, which combines computing hardware with a standardized sensor architecture to facilitate the integration of various driving software systems.
This does not mean, however, that Volkswagen is now using Nvidia instead of Wayve for its production vehicles. The two approaches are distinct: according to current media reports, Wayve is intended to provide primarily driving software, while Nvidia offers not only its own software but also a technical platform and tools for development and simulation. Nvidia is also invested in Wayve and supplies computing hardware for the startup’s autonomous driving projects. A specific combination of Wayve software and Nvidia hardware for Volkswagen has not yet been confirmed.
In addition, Volkswagen, Porsche, and Cariad are working together with Nvidia, Microsoft Azure, and the data platform provider Voxel51 to develop a platform that utilizes real driving data for training and validating automated driving systems. Nvidia contributes tools for processing training data and virtually reconstructing real driving scenarios, among other things. Such approaches aim to shorten development cycles and reduce the need for repeated test drives.