Rivian’s $5 billion software partnership with Volkswagen Group will go far beyond shared technology development, with the German automaker planning to base all future electric vehicles across its brands on Rivian’s upcoming R2 platform, a senior Rivian executive said.
The platform underpinning Rivian’s forthcoming R2 SUV will serve as the foundation for Volkswagen’s future EV models, Rivian Chief Software Officer Wassym Bensaid said in an interview with Yahoo Finance. While the partnership was initially viewed as a way for Volkswagen to modernize its software offerings and close the gap created by delays at its Cariad unit, the scope of the deal appears broader.
“R2 is the platform that will underpin actually all future EV products at VW,” Bensaid said. “It’s really that modular, scalable technology stack that we will take into VW brands, and we will do it in a way where we will still allow each of the brands to express their own identity.”
The modular software and zonal electrical architecture developed for Rivian’s next-generation R2 vehicle will form the core of Volkswagen’s EV offerings going forward. The rollout is expected to begin with an upcoming affordable model—currently codenamed Every1—before extending to newly released vehicles from VW and its affiliated brands, including Audi, Porsche, Skoda, Seat, Scout, and Lamborghini.
While the technology stack will remain consistent, Bensaid noted that individual brands will still have the flexibility to differentiate their user interface, vehicle dynamics, and brand-specific experiences.
“Each brand will have their own UI, look and feel. Each brand will have their own suspension tuning […] but underneath, the guts of the vehicle will be optimized based on the same technology and software architecture,” he said.
Volkswagen’s agreement with Rivian, announced in June, includes an initial $1 billion investment and up to $4 billion in additional funding. The deal marks a major strategic pivot for the German carmaker, which has faced repeated delays and challenges with in-house software development.