Volkswagen Group has expanded its global collaboration with business and IT consulting firm CGI to modernise its IT systems and accelerate digitalisation.

As part of the collaboration, the firms launched a new entity, MARV1N, to focus on Volkswagen’s digitalisation projects and support the developers.

This move aims to enhance Volkswagen's IT capabilities and streamline the development of new IT systems for reducing operating costs and speeding up processes.

By 2026, Volkswagen aims to overhaul its IT landscape, replacing numerous outdated systems with fewer, more robust solutions, it says.

The firm also plans to strengthen its software development through the expansion of international subsidiaries and partnerships.

Volkswagen Group IT board member Hauke Stars said: “For the development and production of modern products, we need modern IT systems. At the Volkswagen Group, we are therefore working on our system landscape of the future: powerful, cross-brand, and scalable.

“Our deepened collaboration with CGI is a further step to secure the increasing demand for software development performance in the Volkswagen Group.”

MARV1N, a fully-owned subsidiary of CGI Germany, will serve as an international development unit, focusing on company-wide digitalisation projects and providing support to Volkswagen developers.

Initially, MARV1N's efforts will concentrate on projects within the technical development, which is said to be a crucial sector in the company’s digitalisation drive.

The entity aims to hasten data-driven function development for upcoming vehicle projects by implementing a new IT system that consolidates data across various stages, from pre-series development to after-sales service.

This centralised data management is expected to expedite development times for software updates and new digital products.

CGI president and CEO François Boulanger said: “Through this strategic partnership, we will further deepen our strong relationship with Volkswagen as we collaborate to accelerate Volkswagen Group’s business outcomes in line with their digitalisation vision and strategy.

“As part of this new strategic partnership, our software architects, developers and consultants will deliver services and solutions grounded in both technology expertise and knowledge of manufacturing business processes.”

Earlier in the month, Volkswagen partnered with Dassault Systèmes to further its digital infrastructure for vehicle development, utilising virtual twins to optimise the engineering and manufacturing processes.