Bosch and Volkswagen Group subsidiary Cariad have announced a new partnership that aims to speed up the production of hands-free driving.

Cariad is an automotive software company established by the German car manufacturer in 2020.

Over 1,000 experts from both companies will collaborate on engineering work with the aim of making both partially and highly automated driving suitable for volume production.

Bosch and Cariad will jointly develop what they describe as a “state-of-the-art”, standardised software platform which will be used in all privately used vehicle classes sold under Volkswagen Group brands.

The alliance says that it will also be possible to integrate the software into other carmakers’ vehicles.

“Together with Cariad, we will now be accelerating the market launch of partially and highly automated driving functions across all vehicle classes, and thus making them available for everyone,” said Bosch board of management member Dr Markus Heyn. “This will make driving on the roads safer and more relaxed.

“We will be able to offer the solutions we create to our other customers as well, and in this way set new standards.”

The partnership aims to make functions available that will allow drivers to temporarily take their hands of the steering wheel.

These functions are Level 2 hands-free systems for urban, extra-urban, and freeway driving, as well as a system that takes over all driving functions on the freeway.

The first of these functions are to be installed next year.

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