> Volkswagen benefits from Rivian's expertise in developing and producing software-defined vehicles
What is wrong with current Volkswagen cars that this is so desirable? What is the benefit for consumers?
What is wrong with current Volkswagen cars that this is so desirable? What is the benefit for consumers?
Awful, slow, buggy, unresponsive, unergonomical, poorly-integrated, occasionally dangerous software, including the user interface, produced by a company culture that just won't change as it just doesn't see value in this, therefore either outsources it to the lowest bidder or mismanage it internally.
There's a reason Android Auto and Carplay are selling points.
I don't think that is the real problem. The issue is that Volkswagen has always been a hardware company and you can not make hardware like you do software. Fast iterations are not possible in hardware, so you need a careful long iterative process to fix previous problems and produce improved designs. Implementing a software process into this can only lead to disaster.
They also know that this is a major problem, which is why they founded Cariad to develop software, but that got burdened by the same problems.
Also: compared to the US, software engineering is payed terrible in the EU. If you are writing software you don't get payed more than an engineer.
With EV's it is different ball game where software is a differentiator thanks to Telsa and the type of customers (techies) who are early adopters.
Terrible problems with software.
VW even founded it's own software company, but apparently that didn't work out to well.