What we know!

On the near horizon, VW will integrate Rivian’s current, yet advanced, software and electrical architecture as soon as possible, all the while working on full implementation of it for future-gen vehicles. Through the Rivian zonal architecture are electronic control units that perform multiple functions in different zones of the car, all of which communicate.

Through the joint venture, which will be an independent company called Rivian and VW Group Technology LLC, Rivian’s existing tech will serve in launching the Rivian’s R2 midsize SUV in the first half of 2026, representing the first vehicle from this venture. On the VW Group side, Audi and Porsche will have the first products, with the first premium vehicle aimed for the end of 2027 or early 2028.

The new joint venture company will work to develop scalable architecture for future software defined vehicles from small cars to premium models.

From the VW brand will be an all-new fully electric ID1 planned for Europe in late 2027, according to Kai Grunitz, head of global research and development for the VW brand.

Later in 2029, the electric Golf, the economic and volume vehicle now representing the first software-defined vehicle from the venture, will come to the United States, more than a year later than planned. It will use the Scalable System Platform, known as SSP, that replaces MEB and will continue to generate the ID family of electric vehicles. Different is that it will now rely on Rivian rather than Cariad for some of the main software, with the current eighth-gen Golf getting a facelift for the 2025 model year.

The Golf will replace the ID.3, representing a clear switch in that the e-Golf was once replaced by the ID.3 as well. The ninth-gen Golf, already confirmed to be a pure EV, will be built in Wolfsburg.

“There’s not enough space to have two or three different models fitting to the same customer,” according to Kai Grunitz, head of technical development for the VW Group. “We have concrete ideas of how it will look like, but we will see how the market develops.”

While it seems to be a complete replacement, there will in fact be an overlap between the two models, with VW selling both EVs for an undisclosed amount of time.

The wait will be short for the return of the electric Golf for a hot hatch from VW without a combustion engine. To that end, later this year, the long-awaited and promised ID.3 GTX will enter the arena.

Thanks to the alignment with Rivian and the innovations it brings as a result, VW can continue with its offering of wonderful vehicles, chock full of user experiences that connect them to their vehicles in an emotional sense, similar to how the ID.Buzz brings joy to the faces of its owners.

In addition to the software innovations, VW is also working alongside Rivian to obtain Level 3 Autonomous Driving as part of the e-architecture. Part of that challenge is to determine which ADAS stack to use, as there are several options, including Mobileye which VW has used in its test fleet of ID Buzz robotaxis. Passenger cars should experience Level 3 with no restrictions in the U.S. by the end of the decade.

Solid state batteries are another area of focus for VW, the first samples of which from subsidiary PowerCo are truly promising. That technology, though, is not estimated to be done until the end of the decade and comes with various challenges. Those include bringing down the cost so as to allow for mass production and to ensure quality components needed for serial production. Similar to its counterparts, VW is working on different chemistries, technologies and ways of building cells and cell formats, all of which come with various benefits.

The hope is to deploy breakthrough solid-state batteries in its next-generation EVs by the end of the decade, with an overall goal of about 620 miles or range.

Thanks to a costly, yet overwhelming forward-thinking joint venture, the future is bright for VW, with the electric lineup getting up to speed in every sense of the word! See what future generations of software-defined vehicles look like, and make plans to reserve yours!