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According to several media reports, the German Volkswagen Group has once again delayed the launch of a number of electric vehicles due to software problems, including ID.4 replacement models and Porsche's new electric SUV will be affected.

According to the report, some models of Volkswagen's new SSP platform will not be available until the end of 2029, which also means that the ID.4 replacement model and Porsche's new electric SUV model will not be available until 2029 at the earliest. Volkswagen delayed the release of several trams because its software department CARIAD failed to deliver the required software in time.

It is understood that the Volkswagen ID.4 is based on the Volkswagen MEB platform and was released in September 2020, while two domestic models, the FAW-Volkswagen ID.4 CROZZ and the SAIC Volkswagen ID.4 X, were released in November 2020. In September 2023, the 2024 Volkswagen ID.4 CROZZ was officially launched, with a total of three models, with a price range of 23.99-293900 yuan. As for Porsche's new electric SUV, code-named SUV K1 and positioned as a luxury seven-seater model, Porsche product manager Albrecht Reimold said the car will "become the top model in our product line".

In fact, Volkswagen delayed the launch of the SSP platform several years ago, and the E32.0 software in question is based on the software platform designed by SSP for the next generation of electric vehicles and developed by Volkswagen subsidiary CARIAD. According to previous plans, from 2025, almost all of Volkswagen's new models will be based on the SSP platform.

The software division CARIAD (Car I Am Digital) is a business of Volkswagen Group, which was initiated by Herbert Dis, former CEO of Volkswagen Group, and formerly known as Car.Software Organisation, the software division of Volkswagen established in 2020. As an important part of Volkswagen Group to promote the transformation of electrification and intelligence, CARIAD has always been highly expected by Volkswagen. However, the company's lagging research and development schedule has led to repeated delays in mass production plans for new cars launched by several brands, including Audi, Porsche, Volkswagen and Bentley, which has also aroused dissatisfaction among Volkswagen Group management. Later, the then Volkswagen Group CEO Dis further increased its investment in software, even independent of the division into a CARIAD, avoiding interference within the Volkswagen Group, and set up subsidiaries in many countries around the world.

Volkswagen, which is part of the Volkswagen Group, has repeatedly stressed that CARIAD and automotive software development are an "indispensable" part of the Volkswagen Group, but production of two important new models, the Porsche e-Macan and Audi Q6 e-tron, has been delayed because part of the business is over budget and failed to meet development targets. In addition, software development delays and cost overruns also contributed to Deiss's departure in September 2022, after which the division was taken over by Oliver Blume, the new chief executive of Volkswagen Group, and most of CARIAD's executives were fired. In May 2023, Volkswagen announced the dismissal of all senior executives in the department except personnel and almost reorganized the board of directors of CARIAD because of serious delays in research and development of CARIAD, a software subsidiary of Volkswagen Group, and years of losses. At that time, Volkswagen Group announced that Peter Bosch, former Bentley production director, had succeeded Dirk Hilgenberg as CARIAD CEO of Volkswagen software company, which was also in charge of finance, procurement and IT.

It is worth mentioning that Volkswagen Group is seeking external cooperation to solve software problems. Earlier, Volkswagen announced a major partnership with Xiaopeng to jointly develop two intelligent Internet models for China's medium-sized car market. The first two models have been set for launch in 2026, with the first product being the SUV model. On May 20, Audi of Volkswagen Group and SAIC announced a cooperation agreement to jointly develop a new platform focused on the Chinese market, the Intelligent Digital platform (Advanced Digitized Platform). The first models based on this platform will be three all-electric models covering the B-class and C-class car segments, and the new models will be equipped with the industry's top software and hardware. The following June, Volkswagen Group announced an investment of $5 billion (about 36.3 billion yuan) with Rivian Automotive, a new US car-making power, to form a joint venture to jointly create electrified architecture and software technology to accelerate software development between the two companies.

As the earliest electric transformation and a lot of investment, Volkswagen maintains a firm attitude towards pure electric transformation. at present, Volkswagen Group is facing the pains of electrified transformation, but with the postponement of the release of a number of trams, it is bound to put Volkswagen under huge sales pressure.

According to the plan, Volkswagen Group plans to launch 30 locally produced fuel and hybrid models in 2027, and Volkswagen China will provide at least 30 pure electric models in the Chinese market by 2030. Volkswagen Group will then become the top three car companies in China, but with the continuous innovation of the car market, the market is running out of time for Volkswagen.

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