OK, maybe that was a bit radical but, effectively, that seems like what is happening. VW had previously bought a Chinese software company to fix their broken software. Then they invested in Xpeng. VW had previously teamed up with Ford to develop self-driving but they both bailed out of that deal (at a cost of billions of dollars).
According to the Electric Viking VW is now developing new versions of their vehicles based on Xpeng’s technology. What technology? First, the platform but, in addition, self-driving technology that an ex-Tesla employee brought to Xpeng.
Is this a 2-way deal? As much as VW seems to be trying to make it sound like it is, I don’t see what VW can bring to the table. It “feels” like VW will be selling Xpeng cars branded as VWs.
