Volkswagen Group China has begun production of its first vehicle built on a locally developed zonal electronic architecture, the VW ID. UNYX 07.
Manufacturing is taking place at Volkswagen’s Anhui facility.
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The company said the start of assembly follows the completion of its China Electronic Architecture (CEA).
It allows the first model based on the system to leave the production line and signalling a move into full-cycle software-defined vehicle manufacturing for the Chinese market.
The production launch of the VW ID. UNYX 07 marks the first commercial application of the new architecture and the start of its wider deployment across the group’s Chinese portfolio.
Over the course of the year, Volkswagen Group China plans to launch four additional vehicles using the same architecture across its joint ventures in the country.
The CEA was created jointly by Volkswagen Group China Technology Company, CARIAD China and XPENG.
It is described as a scalable zonal electronic system with central computing, designed for over-the-air updates and use across multiple platforms and powertrain types, including battery-electric, hybrid and combustion-engine vehicles.
Volkswagen said the programme moved from concept to production in 18 months, its fastest development cycle for a new electronic architecture, while keeping its existing validation requirements unchanged.
Compared with earlier vehicle generations, the group added that the architecture cuts the number of electronic control units by about 30% and can shorten overall development timelines by up to 30%.
From this year, vehicles based on the CEA will be introduced in the A- and B-segments and gradually rolled out across all three of Volkswagen’s Chinese joint ventures.
The A-segment covers entry-level city cars, while B-segment models are larger subcompact vehicles offering greater space, equipment and motorway capability.
Volkswagen Group CEO Oliver Blume said: “The start of production of our first zonal electronic architecture marks another milestone in our ‘In China, for China’ Strategy. The Volkswagen Group delivered – fast and reliably. In just 18 months, we have for the first time built a completely new, scalable electronic architecture from development all the way to series production – maintaining the high quality and safety standards that our customers expect from Volkswagen.”
