Horizon (09660) deepens AI cooperation with Volkswagen Group to help Volkswagen accelerate towards a new era of L3 and L4 autonomous driving.

On July 22, Horizon (09660) and Volkswagen Group officially announced that through the joint venture between CARIAD and Horizon, called CARIZON, Volkswagen Group will further deepen its technical cooperation with Horizon in the field of AI large models. According to the agreement, CARIZON will, based on a white-label authorization model, independently develop and accelerate the construction of Volkswagen Group's unified AI driving solution in China by leveraging Horizon's advanced AI large model capabilities. Horizon's AI large models will closely collaborate with CARIZON's in-development system-level chip C7H, as well as the GAIA world model data platform, to empower Volkswagen Group's Level 3 and Level 4 autonomous driving capabilities and establish a solid technological foundation for future passenger vehicles and Robotaxis applications. It will also drive the continuous iteration and upgrade of mass-produced advanced driving assistance solutions for various scenarios. This AI-empowered intelligent driving technology system will be deeply integrated with Volkswagen Group's first locally developed regional control electronic and electrical architecture - the CEA architecture. Leveraging the group's platform advantages, these technologies can be flexibly adapted to multiple vehicle platforms and deployed on a variety of models within the group's product portfolio for the Chinese and some international markets. Through this deepened cooperation with Horizon, Volkswagen Group is continuously strengthening its local autonomous driving technology base. Following the "In China, For China" strategy, Volkswagen Group is pushing its intelligent driving strategic blueprint from planning to reality through the joint venture with Horizon called CARIZON. By the end of 2025, CARIZON's first advanced driving assistance system has been delivered and applied to models such as Junyi 07 and the new Junyi 06, offering features like high-speed navigation assistance and memory parking. The full-scenario advanced driving assistance solution has already entered the mass production stage, supporting further urban navigation assistance driving capabilities from the third quarter of this year onwards, successively adopted by seven new electric models from Volkswagen Group's three joint ventures in China. Starting next year, it will gradually expand to a wider range of CEA-product matrixes. According to the plan, Volkswagen Group's Level 3 autonomous driving capability is expected to be available for delivery by the second half of 2027. Chairman of the Management Board of Volkswagen Group, OBrien, stated: "China has become one of the group's important innovation engines globally, particularly in software, artificial intelligence, and autonomous driving. This deepened cooperation will further strengthen our R&D and scalable application capabilities for AI-based autonomous driving solutions. By combining world-class AI capabilities with the group's deep engineering expertise, we will better serve Chinese customers and also support the group's business development in some international markets in the future." Managing Director of Volkswagen Group's China operations and Chairman and CEO of Volkswagen Group (China), Berd, said: "The timely mass production of the full-scene advanced driving assistance solution fully demonstrates our technological delivery capability and independent R&D strength. Based on this foundation, we are committed to developing one of the most advanced autonomous driving systems for the future market in China, becoming an industry benchmark in safety and humanized driving experience. With the current leading autonomous driving AI large model capabilities in the industry, the group will further enhance its technological advantages to ensure the self-developed Level 3 and Level 4 autonomous driving solutions are developed and deployed faster, safer, and on a larger scale." Horizon's founder and CEO, Yu, stated: "As the automotive industry accelerates toward L3 and L4 level autonomous driving, the industry is placing higher demands on the ability of underlying AI models to handle complex road conditions. The official mass production of CARIZON's full-scenario advanced driving assistance solution, which deeply integrates Horizon's software and hardware capabilities, marks a milestone in our strategic cooperation with Volkswagen Group. Built on this solid foundation, we are honored to further deepen cooperation with Volkswagen to provide a solid technological foundation for Volkswagen's progression to L3 and L4 through advanced AI large models, further solidifying Horizon's platform-based business model of 'ARM + Android'. In the future, Horizon will continue to adhere to its role as an empowering force at the core, working hand in hand with Volkswagen to accelerate the scale and popularization of cutting-edge AI technology." Currently, the Chinese automotive industry is leading the global wave of intelligent transformation, with Chinese technology companies such as Horizon continuously injecting energy into global innovation. The deep cooperation between Horizon and Volkswagen Group in the field of AI large models will further integrate the core strengths of both parties in vehicle manufacturing and intelligent driving, accelerating the scale and popularization of Chinese local intelligent technology globally. Looking ahead, Horizon will continue to leverage its integrated software and hardware technology power, continuously empowering the industry, and promoting a comprehensive upgrade of the intelligent travel ecosystem.