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Volkswagen has taken a leaf out of Ford’s e book and established a brand new division inside the model to deal with electrical autos and software program improvement, two key pillars of the present transformation of the auto business, and with areas that usually overlap.
Volkswagen Group’s quantity model this week introduced the institution of the New Mobility division to deal with EVs and software program, as a way to speed up improvement in these areas. Ford made an analogous transfer in March when it established the Mannequin E division for EVs and software program, alongside Ford Blue for internal-combustion automobiles, and Ford Professional for industrial clients and autos.
“With the newly created New Mobility division, we’re bundling the strategic motion areas of electrical mobility and software program, thereby rising our tempo of innovation,” Thomas Schaefer, VW’s CEO, stated in a press release.
Thomas Ulbrich has been tasked with heading New Mobility. He is at present chief expertise officer and head of EVs for VW, roles through which he oversaw the event of the ID.3 and ID.4 fashions.
Thomas Ulbrich
At New Mobility, Ulbrich will oversee the event of extra VW autos based mostly on VW Group’s present MEB platform designed for quantity fashions, in addition to VW autos based mostly on the upcoming SSP platform, a extremely modular platform that may finally underpin the vast majority of VW Group EVs.
The primary SSP-based mannequin would be the much-hyped VW fastback code-named Undertaking Trinity. The car is due in 2026 and tipped to be a Tesla Mannequin 3 rival.
Software program, together with self-driving expertise, may even be a defining characteristic of the SSP platform. Search for over-the-air updates, features on demand, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications, and an in-house working system to be generally known as VW.OS, most of which is being developed by VW Group’s Cariad software program division.
Along with his new position as head of New Mobility, Ulbrich may even function a member on Cariad’s board to strengthen cooperation. Cariad is chargeable for the software program improvement, and New Mobility the combination of the software program in particular person fashions.
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