InsideEVs Reports Rapid Progress on Rivian and VW’s New Software Architecture

InsideEVs reports that Rivian and Volkswagen’s five point eight billion dollar software partnership is already moving fast. The joint venture, called Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies, was formed late last year to build the next generation software and electrical architecture that will power future Rivians and VW Group EVs.

Volkswagen is using this as a reset after years of software delays. Rivian brings the tech and experience, VW brings scale and funding, and together they have already finalized the architecture for the first wave of vehicles. That includes an Audi model, Scout Motors’s first EV, and the Volkswagen ID.Every1, which is on track for a 2027 launch.

The heart of the project is zonal architecture. It replaces dozens of scattered ECUs with a few powerful zones, which simplifies wiring, speeds up repairs, and creates a platform built for OTA updates and future autonomy. Rivian already uses this setup in its second generation R1 vehicles, and VW will now adopt a similar approach across all future Western market EVs.

Winter testing begins in early 2026 with engineering mules from Audi, Scout and VW. Longer term, RV Tech wants to license its software stack to other automakers, similar to how Android became a universal phone operating system.

R2 will showcase the partnership next year, while VW’s first production model using the shared architecture arrives in Europe in 2027. Both brands need this collaboration, especially as federal EV incentives roll back and the market shifts to pure product strength. This partnership gives VW modern software at last and gives Rivian the scale and capital it has been pushing for.