Rivian and Volkswagen Advance SDV Joint Venture to 2026
One year after its inception, the joint venture "Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies" (RV Tech) continues to deepen its collaboration with the Volkswagen Group and Rivian on state-of-the-art zonal architecture for future software-defined vehicles (SDVs). RV Tech now prepares reference vehicles from the Volkswagen, Scout and Audi brands with the new SDV architecture for winter testing, which RV Tech plans for the first quarter of 2026. At the same time, the organisation continues to grow, and RV Tech now boasts a powerful international development team of more than 1,500 employees. With a new location in Berlin, the joint venture strengthens cross-site collaboration with Volkswagen Group brands across Europe and accelerates Software-Defined Vehicle development for global customers.
Rivian and Volkswagen founded the joint venture in November 2024 to develop a state-of-the-art zonal electronic architecture and a Software-Defined Vehicle (SDV) functional software architecture for the Volkswagen Group and Rivian, with a focus on the Western Hemisphere. In this SDV vehicle architecture, powerful modular central computers control all vehicle functions and enable a unified electronic platform across brands. Customers benefit from highly automated driving features and advanced infotainment solutions that receive continuous over-the-air updates. Hence, they no longer need to visit a service centre to access the latest functions. This approach keeps vehicles constantly up to date and continuously improves the digital driving experience throughout the car's life.
The Volkswagen Group will deploy this SDV architecture in its next generation of electric vehicles based on the upcoming SSP platform and aims to offer technologically leading products across multiple segments, price ranges and international markets. Volkswagen expects the SSP platform to support a Group-wide vehicle volume of up to 30 million units, creating significant scale for software-defined electric cars.
Rivian will use the technologies developed by the joint venture in its future products, R2, R3, and R3X, and will keep its current vehicle fleet updated with the latest SDV software and connected vehicle features.
Oliver Blume, CEO of the Volkswagen Group, says: “Our joint venture with Rivian demonstrates how we at Volkswagen Group envision and deliver progress: with speed, precision, and a strong customer focus. The joint venture is rapidly developing the architecture for our future software-defined vehicles. Every step toward achieving our ambitious goals is being executed with determination and clear focus. In close collaboration with our brands, we have built a technological foundation in just 12 months that will enable a new digital driving experience for our customers at affordable prices. Together, this strategic partnership will set new standards for the future of mobility.”
RJ Scaringe, Founder and CEO of Rivian, says: “We remain incredibly excited by the work coming out of our joint venture with Volkswagen Group. RV Tech has gone from strength to strength over the last 12 months and is raising the bar in automotive technology. We’re incredibly excited about the launch of R2 in the first half of next year, which will showcase the advancements the joint venture has made.”
Winter testing with reference vehicles will begin in the first quarter of 2026. At the beginning of 2026, RV Tech plans to send cars from the Volkswagen, Scout and Audi brands into their first winter testing phase to evaluate the developed SDV features under cold conditions. RV Tech defined the hardware and electronic architecture specifications for these reference vehicles in spring 2025 and now aims to validate the performance of the zonal SDV architecture under demanding climatic conditions.
Among the vehicles, the Volkswagen ID.EVERY1 plays a key role. Since summer 2025, RV Tech engineers in Palo Alto and Irvine have been working intensively with engineering prototypes. The company plans to launch the series model in 2027 as the first Volkswagen Group vehicle to feature a version of the SDV architecture and to offer leading digital technologies in the fully electric entry-level segment.
In addition, the joint venture works with Volkswagen Group brands on the subsequent development stages and technical specifications for future models based on the SSP platform, which the brands expect to bring to market by the end of the decade. This collaboration helps the brands align their upcoming models with the SDV architecture and integrate digital vehicle capabilities into series production reliably and efficiently.
RV Tech continues to build its capabilities systematically and now boasts a powerful international development team of more than 1,500 employees. Teams in the USA, Canada, Sweden and Serbia work closely with colleagues at the new Berlin location. The German branch strengthens collaboration with the Group’s brands within the same time zone and supports faster decision-making on Software-Defined Vehicle programmes.