Volkswagen Together with its Chinese partner Xpeng, wants to significantly reduce costs with a new platform for electric cars. The two companies signed a corresponding agreement and launched two joint development centers, as VW announced on Monday.
Everyone should be in as early as 2026 China The cars built by VW are based on the CEA electronic platform, which requires significantly fewer control units and therefore promises significant savings. VW China boss Ralf Brandstätter (55) spoke of a “milestone” in the group’s “China for China” strategy. It is an important step in the transition to becoming a leading provider of intelligent, connected vehicles.
Numerous components and many meters of wiring harness are eliminated
VW agreed to work with Xpeng in 2023 and acquired five percent of the Chinese manufacturer for $700 million. Originally, two joint vehicles were to be brought onto the market from 2026. The collaboration is now being expanded and all cars from 2026 will be based on the new platform.
The platform uses three central computers and a zonal structure to control the individual parts of the car. This eliminates the need for numerous components and many meters of wiring harness, making the cars more efficient and cheaper to produce. The market leader in this area is the US electric car manufacturer Tesla.
Volkswagen’s business in China is in crisis. CEO Oliver Blume (56) has often been in the Middle Kingdom recently. The problems there are among his biggest as CEO of the Volkswagen Group. Like the group with its brands VW and Audi wants to remain competitive even in the electric age, manager magazine reported
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