VW software problems delay Audi, Porsche and Bentley EV plans

It looks like the newly created Volkswagen division Cariad may have hit some bumps along the road. We earlier reported on the German car maker’s company and it seems electric vehicles from Audi, Porsche and Bentley will be delayed due to the software problems in the development of the in-car operating system led by them. 

With Cariad developing the in-car software for the next generation of EVs for the VW conglomerate, Audi and Porsche's big bosses aren’t happy with how the work is going. They found the operating system to be underwhelming. In these situations, changing the code isn’t as easy as it sounds. 

It would take months for revisions to happen and this is causing delays. The software engineering team is struggling to keep up with the schedule and is falling behind. This is causing massive slowdowns with the development of new EV models. 

As Automobilwoche reported, Porsche was supposed to launch the all-electric Macan later this year. With the hardware all tuned properly and ready, the software was not. This had the executives shaking their heads in disappointment.  Audi, on the other hand, is developing an autonomous driving feature for their new flagship electric vehicle which is now being pushed back to 2027 due to the again unfinished development of Cariad engineers. 

Bentley will also revise its target of only selling battery-powered models by the end of the decade. Their very first fully electric vehicle was supposed to arrive in 2025 but that seems like a dream now. 

Cariad, being a new company, may be experiencing birthing pains. As a new software kid on the digital block, the VW division has a lot of deadlines to meet and software to future-proof. They are taking their time to work out all the kinks and deliver a fully working product that the car makers can use and especially will not malfunction.

But with all they’re doing, will the delays be worth it? Audi, Porsche, and Bentley don’t seem to think so.