Software expert Frank Han becomes new CEO of CARIAD China

Frank Han takes over the management of CARIAD China on 1 March 2024. The software expert, who was chief software architect of Changan Automobile, among other things, will further drive the development CARIAD China into a state-of-the-art software house. The focus will be on the rapid integration of the latest technologies into vehicles of the Volkswagen Group brands for the Chinese market In addition Han moves to the Board of Management of Volkswagen Group China as Executive Vice President. He succeeds Chang Qing, who will return to Volkswagen AG as planned following the completion of the restructuring of CARIAD China.

"The competition in the automotive market in China is characterized by demanding and technology-enthusiastic customers. Here, software is becoming the decisive factor for success. CARIAD China is already delivering the first China-specific digital solutions for the brands. I would like to thank Chang Qing for his great commitment with which he has realized the development of CARIAD China in a very short time. The focus was on expanding the company's own development work, which was further enhanced through strong partnerships with Chinese tech companies," said Peter Bosch, CEO of CARIAD SE.

"With his outstanding expertise in software development and architecture, Frank Han will further accelerate the expansion of CARIAD China's development and software expertise and thus significantly shorten development times in order to bring innovative offerings to customers faster. He has extensive experience in the development of software-defined vehicle platforms and will further strengthen the CARIAD China team with his distinctive technological expertise," added Bosch.

Ralf Brandstätter, Member of the Group Board of Management of Volkswagen AG for China: "The central control unit of the software-defined vehicle is the electronics architecture. Due to the very specific requirements of our Chinese customers, the localization of software development is a key pillar of our 'in China, for China' strategy. Chang Qing has made a decisive contribution to the development of CARIAD China and our local partnerships. I would like to expressly thank him for this. With his technical expertise and knowledge of regional customer needs, Frank Han will implement the integration of innovative digital technologies into our products.”

CARIAD China with its more than 1,000 experts, is an essential part of the Volkswagen Group's "in China, for China" strategy of the Volkswagen Group. The aim is to shorten development times by 30 per cent and to deliver China-specific software solutions. In addition to increasing its own development expertise, partnerships with Chinese tech companies play a decisive role. Under the umbrella of the CARIAD C-Group the individual co-operations have been brought together.

In collaboration with Horizon Robotics, CARIAD is strengthening the development of ADAS functions (assisted and autonomous driving) and its expertise in chip design in the CARIZON joint venture. Together with ThunderSoft (joint venture CARTHUNDER), a manufacturer of state-of-the-art products and technologies for intelligent operating systems, CARIAD is further expanding its expertise in infotainment and connectivity. With the integration of ARK into CARIAD China (CARIATIVE), the company is expanding its activities in the UX/UI sector. CARIAD China is thus making a significant contribution to Volkswagen Group China taking on a leading role in the age of intelligently connected vehicles.

About Frank Han

Frank Han studied mechanical engineering and computer science at Southwest Jiaotong University and the University of Texas in Dallas, majoring in mechanical engineering and computer science. As an experienced manager in the in the field of automotive software and the development of software-defined vehicles (SDV) the Chinese-born executive most recently served as Chief Technical Officer of ChanganTech and Chief Software Officer of Changan, he led a technology team of over 2,000 in-house engineers and 1,500 engineers at partners. He is responsible for the comprehensive development of an SDV platform and, in addition to his strong understanding of understanding of architecture, he also has international experience in the USA and China.