Daimler Truck and Volvo Group will jointly develop a common software-defined vehicle (SDV) platform, and a dedicated truck operating system, through a new joint venture spawned as part of a new binding agreement. Through it, the OEMs are looking to provide the foundation for future software-defined commercial vehicles. The transaction for the joint venture is expected to be completed in the first half of 2025, subject to obtaining all required regulatory approvals.
Together, the companies are currently establishing the joint venture that will, itself, be headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden. While supporting Daimler Truck and the Volvo Group, the forthcoming platform spawned from the joint venture will also be offered to its potential future customers, enabling them to provide stand-alone digital vehicle functions for their products.
The joint venture’s activities will include the specification and procurement of centralized, high-performance, control units designed exclusively for commercial vehicles and capable of handling large amounts of data. It will also develop a proprietary operating system and tools that OEMs can use as a basis to develop their own digital vehicle features. Here, Daimler Truck and the Volvo Group are aiming to decouple software and hardware development cycles in the future, enabling customers to purchase and update digital applications wirelessly over the air.
Outside their joint venture, Daimler Truck and Volvo Group confirmed that they will remain competitors and continue to differentiate their product and services offerings, including their respective digital solutions.