Uh oh, there’s more trouble in Volkswagen’s software department

Volkswagen and software are not a happy combination. The new software architecture for the Audi Q6 E-Tron and the Porsche Macan EV has been postponed for the umpteenth time. There are also layoffs.

The problem lies with Volkswagen’s software division Cariad. The division is only three years old, but has already had a turbulent history.

Chairman of the Volkswagen division

In May, Cariad CEO Dirk Hilgenberg was sent home and replaced by Peter Bosch, who was previously in charge of production at Bentley.

Audi Q6 and Porsche Macan

Cariad is working on a software platform for the Audi Q6 E-Tron and the Porsche Macan EV. It was originally supposed to be ready in 2022, then it was pushed back to the end of 2023 and now it’s not expected to hit the market until 2025.

The Q6 E-Tron and Macan EV were supposed to have been introduced earlier, but were postponed for more than a year due to the problems at Cariad.

Fired from Volkswagen

And now there are layoffs in the software division: two thousand jobs are being lost. It is unknown whether this will impact the Macan EV’s release date. It is currently scheduled for early 2024.

Porsche relies on Google

Earlier this week, Porsche announced that it would no longer wait for Cariad’s new software. The brand will use Google’s Android Automotive technology.