Volkswagen is putting AI-powered driver assistance into its Chinese EVs

VW is stepping up its autonomous driving game in China. It’s readying a fancy AI-based driver assistance suite underpinned by a self-developed chipset for its next-generation electric cars.

For the last 18 months, the clever folk at Carizon – a joint venture between China’s Horizon Robotics and VW’s Cariad software division – have been developing a platform called ‘Gaia’ that ingests data like a gannet and spits out AI solutions 20 times faster than a conventional data analysis engine.

When it comes to training autonomous driving programmes, that’s fast. And having covered over 62,000 miles of testing in that short space of time, AI has enabled Carizon to train vehicles to navigate complex traffic situations in a more human-like manner.

No, that doesn’t mean the system flaps and freezes. Instead, the system can keep its cool under pressure, and is now sufficiently capable to be integrated into VW and Audi EVs for the Chinese market from next year.

Volkswagen Group board member for China Ralf Brandstätter, said: “The rapid progress in developing our new ADAS system highlights Carizon’s technical capabilities and developing cutting-edge technology locally - at ‘China Speed’ - tailored to our Chinese customers, with the highest standards in driving performance, safety and quality.”

According to Carizon’s figures, 25 per cent of new cars in China use Level 2 autonomous driving capabilities – that’s a US-designated label to denote a car that can provide ‘steering and braking support to the driver, alongside lane centering’. Carizon wants to get to L2++.

Why not call it L3? That’s because Level 3 sees the car legally take over in limited conditions, like low-speed traffic jams, and give control back to the driver appropriately.

Carizon chief Marcus Hafkemeyer, said: “With a team of 500 local ADAS experts and the consistent integration of AI in the development process, we will bring Level 2+ ADAS to the road. Level 2++ ADAS with Urban Navigate on Autopilot (NoA) is in advanced testing and will be launched in 2026. This will also enable us to lay the technological foundations for a fast-track evolution towards Level 3.” More as we get it.