Overview
- CEO Oliver Blume announced the plan at the China International Import Expo in Shanghai.
- Carizon, the joint venture of VW’s Cariad and Horizon Robotics, will design an AI System-on-Chip to process camera and sensor data for advanced driver assistance with Level 3 capability in China.
- Volkswagen cites competitive pressure in China’s market as it shifts from software-only efforts to combined hardware and software development.
- First VW models using Carizon’s ADAS are slated from 2026 with externally sourced chips, with series production of the in-house SoC planned in three to five years.
- VW positions the effort within its “In China, for China” strategy during chip-supply strains tied to Nexperia and under regulatory caution following safety incidents.