China: Volkswagen Launches CEA in Series

Software-Defined Vehicles China: Volkswagen Launches CEA in Series

2026-02-02 From Stefanie Eckardt | Translated by AI 1 min Reading Time

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Volkswagen has made its China Electronic Architecture, or CEA for short, ready for series production, which is a good sign for the VW ID.UNYX 07 and its planned market launch. The vehicle is the first model based on CEA and is regarded as the starting point for the production of software-defined vehicles in China.

Volkswagen's first self-developed zonal electronics architecture goes into series production in China(Image: Volkswagen) — Volkswagen's first self-developed zonal electronics architecture goes into series production in China
(Image: Volkswagen)

In addition to the ID.UNYX 07, Volkswagen plans to present four more vehicles from all its joint ventures with the new architecture. The architecture was developed by Volkswagen Group China Technology Company (VCTC), Cariad China and Xpeng. The vehicle will be produced at VW's Anhui plant.

Shorter Vehicle Development Cycles

Compared to previous vehicle generations, the new architecture reduces the number of electronic control units by around 30 percent, making them considerably simpler. In China, this creates a stable basis for AI cockpit functions, Chinese driver assistance systems and over-the-air updates for the entire vehicle.

The new development process shortens overall vehicle development cycles by up to 30 percent. Thanks to localized development and the early involvement of suppliers in the concept phase, development costs for new models in selected key projects can be minimized by up to 50 percent. Agile development processes also enable rapid adaptations to changing customer requirements.

Starting this year, the company plans to gradually integrate CEA not only in A-segment models but also in B-segment vehicles and introduce it in all three joint ventures in China.

18 Months Development Time

While the overall development cycle at CEA has been shortened to 18 months - the shortest development time ever achieved by Volkswagen for a completely new electronic architecture with a locally developed specific ADAS solution, as the Group proudly announced - the validation cycle remains unchanged. (se)

In an SDV, software is the central product. It enables functions such as over-the-air updates, personalized driving experiences, and automated driving. To make this possible, the way vehicles are developed and designed must be fundamentally reimagined. (Image:Intellias)

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