Welcome back to the latest episode of “The Future of Automotive” on CBT News, where we put recent automotive and mobility news into the context of the broader themes impacting the industry.
I’m Steve Greenfield from Automotive Ventures, and I’m glad that you could join us.
This week, a bold new chapter in the electric vehicle space — one that brings together a scrappy American upstart and a century-old German giant.
Rivian, the California-based EV maker, has struck a $5 billion deal with Volkswagen. But this isn’t just about money. It’s about the digital DNA of the vehicles we’ll be driving tomorrow.
In a surprising twist, Rivian’s next-generation software platform — the one set to debut in their upcoming R2 SUV — will become the technological backbone of all future electric vehicles made by Volkswagen. Yes, all of them.
That means everything from the family-friendly ID.4 to high-performance models from Audi and even Porsche will soon be running on Rivian’s code. It’s a dramatic turn for a company like VW, which has struggled to build its own in-house software through CARIAD, its internal unit plagued by delays and setbacks.
Wassym Bensaid, Rivian’s Chief Software Officer, confirmed the news in an interview with Yahoo Finance. He says the modular architecture powering the R2 will form the basis of VW’s entire EV lineup moving forward. Each brand will retain its unique look and feel — from UI to suspension tuning — but underneath, they’ll all share the same digital brain.
This partnership marks more than a technology swap. It’s a clear signal: Volkswagen isn’t just tweaking its software strategy — it’s rewriting it. And with Rivian in the driver’s seat, it might finally be on a path to catching up in the EV race.
So, with that, let’s transition to Our Companies to Watch.
Every week we highlight interesting companies in the automotive technology space to keep an eye on. If you read my weekly Intel Report, we showcase a company to watch, and we take the opportunity here on this segment each week to share that company with you.
Today, our new company to watch is PartBay.
PartBay uses AI agents to automate automotive part procurement, helping body shops boost margins and reduce cycle time.
PartBay uses AI trained on your past data to improve margins, cut cycle time, and eliminate ordering errors.
AI agents call suppliers in quotes to assess part availability, price, delivery, and other key info.
Part details change, especially for used parts, and PartBay’s AI agents make sure to capture the latest.
PartBay’s AI agents are trained on your preferences to choose the best option every time.
Stop wasting time manually comparing tens of different options for each job.
Let PartBay’s AI handle it so you can focus on repairs and customers.
If you’d like to learn more about PartBay, you can check them out at www.partbay.ai
So that’s it for this week’s Future of Automotive segment.
If you’re an AutoTech entrepreneur working on a solution that helps car dealerships, we want to hear from you. We are actively investing out of our DealerFund.
Don’t forget to check out my first book, “The Future of Automotive Retail,” and my new book, “The Future of Mobility”, both of which are available on Amazon.
Thanks (as always) for your ongoing support and for tuning into CBT News for this week’s Future of Automotive segment. We’ll see you next week!
