Volkswagen and its software problems is a story that stretches back several years, and which customers were able to really “feel” rather chaotic launch of the Volkswagen ID.3 in 2020.

If the software issues with the products themselves have been resolved for all the brands of the group, for the part dedicated to the development of future models, the German giant does not give up from the forest.

Internal cleaning

So much so that Volkswagen has announced an overhaul of the management of its subsidiary Cariad, responsible for coding the software for future electric and autonomous models. This piled up difficulties from the very beginning and caused many internal problems. The failings of Cariad, an organization directly run by former Volkswagen boss Herbert Diess, were one of the main reasons for the latter’s hasty departure last summer.

Peter Bosch, currently head of production at Bentley, will now take over at Cariad in early June, replacing Dirk Hilgenberg. Two former Porsche executives also joined Cariad’s board.

The head of the German manufacturer, Oliver Blume, put the recovery of the subsidiary software at the center of his priorities: “When I took office in September 2022, I emphasized that Cariad is a key success factor” for Volkswagen, “At the center of the revolution of electricity and communication, started by the automobile industry”– he recalled in a press release.

Meanwhile, competition is growing

According to several sources, Kariad’s problems are related to internal disagreements and fatiguewhich led to delays in the development of software platforms and, as a result, the launch of electric models at Porsche and Audi, which also affected the ID family of electric models of the Volkswagen brand.

At the same time, while the German manufacturer strives to find the right formula, Tesla and BYD were able to advance their pawns and now have a good start.

In addition to the change in direction, Cariad will be endowed with a “transformation advice” internally with responsibility for management “Transformation and development of cooperation between Cariad and brands of the Volkswagen concern”, explains Michael Steiner, member of Cariad’s supervisory board.