Volkswagen Group’s approach to engineering and developing technology is not one-size-fits-all. Depending on the technology and its strategic relevance, the Group builds on its own capabilities, develops solutions together with partners or uses established external expertise. The aim is to make the right technology and sourcing decisions early, accelerate development and scale successful solutions across the Group.
“Our transformation is about becoming faster, less complex and more competitive. This means focusing our resources, shortening development times and making the right technology choices early to build better products and create real value for our customers. Strong partnerships are an important part of this approach,” said Oliver Blume, CEO of Volkswagen Group. “As a European company with a global footprint, Volkswagen Group combines its technological and industrial capabilities with a global partner network - accessing new expertise, sharing development and investment to accelerate innovation, and scaling successful solutions across our markets. With one clear goal: to be the Global Automotive Tech Driver,” he added.
To this end, Technical Development and Procurement are increasingly working together from the early stages of product development, when product concepts are being shaped. They assess technologies, determine the most effective development and sourcing approach and align on implementation. Bringing engineering and commercial perspectives together early can help avoid additional costs later in the process and create more room for innovations and features that deliver the highest value for customers.
“IZB is an important platform for the region, for the city of Wolfsburg and for the Volkswagen Group. Bringing international companies and start-ups together here, close to our development and procurement teams, creates the conditions for concrete cooperation,” said Karsten Schnake, Member of the Extended Executive Committee and Member of the Volkswagen Brand Board of Management responsible for Procurement. “The fair attracts a strong and diverse range of suppliers, with growing interest from technology companies. This reflects the increasing importance of closer cooperation between our industry and the technology sector, with clear opportunities for both sides. Our goal is to use this industry platform to exchange with industry leaders, discover new opportunities and turn promising ideas into strong business cases,” he added.
At IZB, the Volkswagen Group is using five Group Hubs to put this approach into practice. For each Hub, the Group has identified specific challenges and relevant future technology areas and invited suppliers, technology companies and startups to submit their projects and expertise.
Technical Development engineers and Procurement experts use the Hubs to explore potential applications and pathways to industrialization together with participating companies. The 365 solutions and projects submitted to the Volkswagen Group Call for Proposals for IZB 2026 illustrate the scale of expertise available in the supplier and technology network.
“The Volkswagen Group Hubs reflect how we approach technology and innovation across the vehicle. We focus on a broad portfolio of concrete technical and industrial areas – from circular materials and the future cockpit to software and AI,” said Kai Grünitz, Member of Volkswagen Brand Board of Management responsible for Technical Development. “For us, innovation is not about technology for its own sake. It is about finding solutions that create real value, developing and implementing them quickly, and making them scalable across our vehicle platforms,” he added.
This approach is reflected in concrete examples, such as Volkswagen Group’s new partnership with NXP Semiconductors, announced at IZB, which demonstrates how targeted technology collaborations can strengthen key capabilities.
The dialogue with international partners extends beyond IZB. Following the supplier fair, the German-Chinese Automotive Congress will take place at Autostadt on 30 October, with Volkswagen Group providing the setting for the event. The conference will bring together the Group, politicians, suppliers and Chinese companies to discuss innovation, competitiveness and opportunities in the automotive industry.