I’m pleased to see that Volkswagen has re-branded its automotive software organisation as CARIAD, as I was never completely sure which letters to capitalise and where the full stop went in ‘Car.Software Org’. It’s also great to see from its new website that Volkswagen is really getting behind bundling together its software competencies and further expand them, building upon a heritage of bringing automotive innovation to everyone.
The website describes how CARIAD is creating one unified software platform for Volkswagen Group. Building a uniform, standardised operating system, VW.OS, for more than 10 million Volkswagen Group vehicles per year. It is also building Volkswagen Automotive Cloud, a globally networked, cloud-based ecosystem for its cars. Volkswagen says that “our AI and machine learning capabilities will enable us to make use of the vast amount of data to make automotive mobility safer, more comfortable and more sustainable.”
Additionally, CARIAD will concentrate upon:
- Intelligent Body & Cockpit
- Automated Driving
- Vehicle Motion & Energy
- Digital Business & Mobility Services
For safety reasons it’s critical that auto OEMs can retain control of all car functionality and in-car experiences, one major reason for Volkswagen’s desire to produce unified and re-usable code through CARIAD. For the OEM this is a challenge, but it is also ultimately great news. Maintaining control means that the car OEMs keep passengers and drivers safe and also opens up exciting possibilities for earning additional margins from the car’s data and connectivity.
A web-search showed me that CARIAD is a Welsh word for sweetheart. I’m not sure how many Welsh speakers were part of the new naming decision, but I am sure that Volkswagen will do everything it can to make sure that we all love the cars and their functionality underpinned by the software that CARIAD is to produce its vehicles.
