WOLFSBURG (dpa-AFX) - The VW Group is expanding its cooperation with the Israeli Intel subsidiary Mobileye. Europe's largest car manufacturer announced in Wolfsburg on Wednesday that the two companies intend to quickly bring new driving assistance functions into series production. The cars are to overtake autonomously on the highway and stop automatically at traffic lights. The new technology is to be used in the Group brands Audi, Bentley, Lamborghini and Porsche. The Group did not give an exact date. Further functions should follow later, in which the car temporarily takes over the wheel itself.

"New automated driving functions significantly increase comfort and safety," said Group CEO Oliver Blume. The cooperation in automated driving with Bosch and Qualcomm and with Horizon Robotics in China would be "continued in a focused manner".

The VW Group and Mobileye have been working together for years. Blume, who is also the CEO of Porsche, strengthened the cooperation after taking over as Group CEO. Mobileye is already a partner of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles in the development of a fully autonomous ID Buzz electric van. This collaboration will now be expanded, it was announced. Mobileye will supply further technology components for autonomous driving. The driverless electric van is set to go into series production in 2026. VW then wants to use it to set up a robotaxi service, which will initially start in Hamburg in 2026.

Unlike his predecessor Herbert Diess, Blume is increasingly relying on external partners when it comes to software. Diess, on the other hand, primarily wanted to use in-house developments from Cariad, the software division he founded. Because program codes were not completed on time, there were several delays in model launches. The Audi Q6 e-tron and Porsche Macan electric models, which will be launched on the market this year two years late, were also affected. Blume had prescribed a new strategy for the software subsidiary after taking office and also replaced the Cariad top management./fjo/DP/stw