For Volkswagen, China is always very close
Volkswagen, which makes about 40% of its sales and half of its profits in China, signs new agreements for the development of software, also in view of the goal of autonomous driving. Stellantis, on the other hand, focuses on India
Volkswagen will invest over 2.4 billion euros in new technologies, in the Old Continent and especially China, to be precise, the sum will be divided between its software subsidiary Cariad (German, but also present in the Asian country) and the startup Horizon Robotics , such as the German business publications Handelsblatt and Manager Magazin reported. The company led by Oliver Blume , which already manages numerous joint ventures in the Asian country, holding a 75% stake in his company with JAC, 50% with SAIC and 40% with FAW, is now aiming at this new company producing chip to catch up on the development of proprietary software that will animate the cars of tomorrow.
AI? BETTER IF CHINESE
Volkswagen for its part said it could not comment on the details of the news, merely saying that it is making large investments in software in China and that it is continuously evaluating partnership options with local companies. The fact remains that in the months preceding the interest of the Wolfsburg company in innovative Chinese startups, in particular those working on algorithms related to artificial intelligence, had already leaked.
WHY VOLKSWAGEN LIKES CHINA
Let's not forget that, currently, the German carmaker makes about 40% of its sales and half of its profits in China. The decision to carry out research and development activities for vehicle technology in the country is not surprising, given that the Asian district is considered a more advanced market in digital innovation than Europe and the United States, also due to the huge investments. government aimed at factories that do R&D and universities that incubate startups.
STELLANTIS IS LOOKING AT INDIA
Stellantis also chose Asia for software development and "crucial" technological innovations, opening a new software center in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India. The new hi-tech hub will focus on the development of software and technological innovations considered essential by the Franco-Italian giant for the advancement of cars and mobility. In the past months Carlos Tavares, CEO of Stellantis, had repeatedly reiterated his intention to create a new era for Stellantis in India. Moreover, let's not forget that the only way to export cars to the country, which will soon be the second in number of vehicles after China, without being subjected to government duties, among the most expensive in the world, is by opening industries on site. .
The facility, which spans 4,600 square meters, will serve as the main development center for STLA SmartCockpit, one of three technology platforms that the Group believes to be central to the company's digital transformation strategy, available starting in 2024 on its four platforms. STLA vehicles. Additionally, the Bengaluru center will develop AI and ADAS technologies for STLA AutoDrive. The Bengaluru Base Software Development Team will support Base software platforms built with the Classic and Adaptive Autosar frameworks. As such, it will host state-of-the-art labs, including a next-generation acoustic one, tasked with developing specific acoustic signatures and premium audio experiences for Stellantis vehicle owners around the world.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/smartcity/per-volkswagen-la-cina-e-sempre-molto-vicina/ on Thu, 13 Oct 2022 13:18:20 +0000.