Automated driving technology sees significant advancement as Bosch and VW reveal their joint achievement
Bosch and Volkswagen's software unit, Cariad, have announced plans to make automated driving a mass-market reality by mid-2026 [1]. This ambitious project aims to deliver a fully developed AI-based software stack for Level 2 and Level 3 assisted and automated driving for series production vehicles.
The collaboration between Bosch and Volkswagen focuses on creating an autopilot system that handles core cognitive tasks—perception, interpretation, decision-making, and action—expected to drive automated functions that "act as naturally as a human driver" [1]. The target is to enhance and safely expand Level 2 (partial automation) and Level 3 (conditional automation), but Level 4 (high automation) is not planned at this stage [1].
From 2023 onwards, Bosch and Volkswagen’s Cariad have been intensely developing and collecting data for their AI-based automated driving stack. Hundreds of test vehicles, including the Volkswagen ID.Buzz and Audi Q8, are currently equipped with this system, with more vehicles to be added in 2025 to gather high-quality data and improve the system's safety and performance [1].
The automated driving software will be integrated into Volkswagen Group’s new "software-defined vehicle" architecture, developed independently by Bosch and Cariad [1]. Bosch is also advancing automated driving safety by partnering with Microsoft to leverage generative AI techniques that utilize vast data sets to improve the performance and decision-making of the autonomous system [2].
By making this technology affordable due to Volkswagen's high volumes, the technology will be applicable to both volume and premium segments of vehicles [1]. The goal is to make automated driving available to millions of drivers [1]. This timeline and approach reflect Bosch and Volkswagen’s strategy to bring advanced automated driving systems into the mass market within a few years, starting from their 2023 development phase [1][2].
[1] Mathias Pillin, Chief Technology Officer of Bosch’s automotive division, announced this in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung. [2] Peter Bosch, head of Volkswagen's central software division, Cariad, stated that they aim to offer this technology at a price many can afford while still making money. Bosch also plans to supply the new technology for automated driving to other car manufacturers.
- The collaboration between Bosch and Volkswagen, through Cariad, is developing an AI-based automotive software for automated driving, aiming to make it a mass-market reality in mid-2026.
- As part of their strategy, Bosch and Volkswagen are integrating the automated driving software into the Volkswagen Group's "software-defined vehicle" architecture, developed jointly by Bosch and Cariad.
- With Volkswagen's high volumes, the automated driving technology developed by Bosch and Volkswagen's Cariad unit will be affordable, making it applicable to both volume and premium segments of vehicles, enabling millions of drivers to access automated driving.
