Volkswagen and NetherlandsXpeng Motors on Monday announced moves that will expand their partnership to develop a highly modern electrical/electronic architecture not only for VW’s locally focused electric vehicle platform, the China Main Platform (CMP), but also for the global Modular Electric Drive Matrix (MEB) platform. All battery EVs of the Volkswagen brand in China will be equipped with the so-called China Electronic Architecture (CEA) from 2026, and a master agreement signed Monday “paves the way for potential expansion of collaboration on E/E architecture,” the companies said. This comes a year after Volkswagen revealed plans to launch two VW brand models featuring Xpeng’s autonomous driving technology in 2026 as part of a $700 million deal to buy a 4.99% stake in the Guangzhou-headquartered EV maker, TechNode reported. Xpeng’s revenues from services and others jumped 93.1% year-on-year to RMB 1 billion ($140 million) in the first three months of this year, which the company said was buoyed by its collaboration with the German giant. [Xpeng announcement, TechNode reporting]
