Finance
Volkswagen says Rivian JV tech could extend to combustion cars in future
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on November 12, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
Global Banking & Finance Review®
Company
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on November 12, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
Volkswagen's collaboration with Rivian may extend to combustion cars, focusing on software integration to compete with Tesla and Chinese automakers.
By Abhirup Roy and Rachel More
PALO ALTO (Reuters) -Volkswagen Group said on Wednesday the technology it is developing with U.S. electric-vehicle maker Rivian Automotive could eventually be used in its internal combustion engine vehicles.
Integration of software and electronics across platforms is crucial for Volkswagen, which has struggled to unify its technology architecture across brands after repeated delays at its in house software unit, Cariad.
The German automaker is counting on its partnership with Rivian to accelerate development of a scalable, next-generation vehicle platform and close the gap with rivals like Tesla and Chinese rivals.
"For sure, it is an extremely capable architecture and we could allow for future use to also use it for ICE, but as we already outlined our clear focus is on BEV implementation and whatever comes after that is to be decided at a later stage," Carsten Helbing, co-CEO of the joint venture RV Tech, said.
EV demand in the U.S. is expected to slow after the expiration of the $7,500 U.S. tax credit, while in Europe Volkswagen and other legacy automakers face mounting pressure from low-cost Chinese manufacturers expanding their footprint in the region.
Volkswagen agreed to invest $5.8 billion in Rivian last year, a move widely seen as an effort to strengthen its software capabilities after setbacks at Cariad.
“The architecture is highly capable of also driving additional drivetrain configurations. So we do not see a huge issue there, but of course it’s additional work on the component side and on the platform side," Helbing told Reuters.
The two companies said winter testing will begin by the end of this year, evaluating the system's performance in harsh conditions on the Volkswagen ID.Every1, one model each from Audi and Scout.
The German automaker's upcoming compact car model, ID.Every1, will be the first to feature the new RV Tech software and electrical architecture, with a launch planned for 2027.
By the end of the decade, more VW Group models on the Scalable Systems Platform are expected to use the joint venture's software and electronics.
(Reporting by Akash Sriram in Bengaluru, Abhirup Roy in San Francisco and Rachel More in Berlin; Editing by Tasim Zahid)
A joint venture is a business arrangement where two or more parties agree to pool their resources for a specific project or business activity, sharing both profits and risks.
An electric vehicle (EV) is a type of vehicle that is powered by one or more electric motors, using energy typically stored in rechargeable batteries.
A scalable vehicle platform is a flexible design framework that allows manufacturers to produce multiple vehicle models using the same underlying technology and components.
Software integration in automotive refers to the process of combining various software systems and applications to work together seamlessly within a vehicle's technology architecture.
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