Yesterday, Volkswagen Group and Xiaopeng Motors jointly announced that they will further expand their cooperation and jointly develop an electronic and electrical architecture based on regional control and quasi central computing - CEA (China Electrical Architecture, abbreviated as EEA by Xiaopeng). Starting from 2026, the new architecture will be applied to locally produced Volkswagen brand electric vehicles.
It is reported that this architecture was jointly developed by Xiaopeng Motors, Volkswagen (China) Technology Co., Ltd. (VCTC), and CARIAD China, a software company under the Volkswagen Group, to ensure rapid digital service expansion of local electric vehicle models under the Volkswagen brand. Through OTA remote upgrades, advanced features including autonomous driving will be seamlessly integrated into the vehicle and can be continuously updated and expanded.
Meanwhile, due to the adoption of a regional control and quasi central computing architecture, the number of controllers in the vehicle will be significantly reduced by 30% compared to before, and the CEA architecture will effectively enhance the cost competitiveness of Volkswagen brand products. This move is also considered a key strategic measure for Volkswagen Group to enter the leading position in the era of intelligent connected vehicles.
CEA will first be applied to platforms specifically developed for the local market, covering four Volkswagen brand pure electric vehicle models based on CMP platforms and developed for the compact entry-level market. The CMP platform is jointly developed by VCTC and Volkswagen's joint ventures SAIC Volkswagen and FAW Volkswagen in China. The goal is to reduce costs by 40% compared to the current MEB platform, and the CEA architecture will make an important contribution to achieving this goal. The models developed based on the CMP platform will enter the market in 2026.
At the same time, CEA will also strengthen the competitiveness of the two Volkswagen mid range models jointly developed by Volkswagen and Xiaopeng Motors in the field of intelligence. These two models will enter the market in 2026, with the first product being an SUV model.
"By expanding our cooperation with Xiaopeng Motors and deeply integrating into the Chinese industrial ecosystem, we will meet the needs of Chinese customers more quickly." said Bered, Managing Director of Volkswagen Group's business in China and Chairman and CEO of Volkswagen Group (China), "We will fully leverage our respective strengths to jointly achieve higher efficiency, better cost structure, and faster research and development speed. In the rapidly developing Chinese automotive market, significant cost-effectiveness and fast development pace are crucial to maintaining competitiveness."
This year marks the 40th anniversary of Volkswagen Group's entry into the Chinese market, and since April, there has been constant news from Volkswagen. On April 11th, Volkswagen announced an investment of 2.5 billion euros to further expand its production and innovation center in Hefei; On April 15th, it was announced that the 40th anniversary celebration in China would be launched in the form of a refreshed online and offline platform. Standing at a new 40 year historical starting point, Volkswagen Group is continuously deepening its localization development.
"We hope to continue leading the way in the era of intelligent connected vehicles," said Berry.