diff --git a/cc/cc.go b/cc/cc.go
index 9f32c44..3f32344 100644
--- a/cc/cc.go
+++ b/cc/cc.go
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@
 	"strings"
 
 	"android/soong/testing"
+
 	"github.com/google/blueprint"
 	"github.com/google/blueprint/proptools"
 
@@ -300,8 +301,8 @@
 	// Set by DepsMutator.
 	AndroidMkSystemSharedLibs []string `blueprint:"mutated"`
 
-	// The name of the image this module is built for, suffixed with a '.'
-	ImageVariationPrefix string `blueprint:"mutated"`
+	// The name of the image this module is built for
+	ImageVariation string `blueprint:"mutated"`
 
 	// The VNDK version this module is built against. If empty, the module is not
 	// build against the VNDK.
@@ -2386,9 +2387,9 @@
 		// Only retrieve the snapshot on demand in order to avoid circular dependencies
 		// between the modules in the snapshot and the snapshot itself.
 		var snapshotModule []blueprint.Module
-		if c.InVendor() && c.VndkVersion() == actx.DeviceConfig().VndkVersion() {
+		if c.InVendor() && c.VndkVersion() == actx.DeviceConfig().VndkVersion() && actx.OtherModuleExists("vendor_snapshot") {
 			snapshotModule = actx.AddVariationDependencies(nil, nil, "vendor_snapshot")
-		} else if recoverySnapshotVersion := actx.DeviceConfig().RecoverySnapshotVersion(); recoverySnapshotVersion != "current" && recoverySnapshotVersion != "" && c.InRecovery() {
+		} else if recoverySnapshotVersion := actx.DeviceConfig().RecoverySnapshotVersion(); recoverySnapshotVersion != "current" && recoverySnapshotVersion != "" && c.InRecovery() && actx.OtherModuleExists("recovery_snapshot") {
 			snapshotModule = actx.AddVariationDependencies(nil, nil, "recovery_snapshot")
 		}
 		if len(snapshotModule) > 0 && snapshotModule[0] != nil {
diff --git a/cc/cc_test.go b/cc/cc_test.go
index 5c5275e..321bd38 100644
--- a/cc/cc_test.go
+++ b/cc/cc_test.go
@@ -26,6 +26,8 @@
 
 	"android/soong/aidl_library"
 	"android/soong/android"
+
+	"github.com/google/blueprint"
 )
 
 func init() {
@@ -45,6 +47,14 @@
 	}),
 )
 
+// TODO(b/316829758) Update prepareForCcTest with this configuration and remove prepareForCcTestWithoutVndk
+var prepareForCcTestWithoutVndk = android.GroupFixturePreparers(
+	PrepareForIntegrationTestWithCc,
+	android.FixtureModifyProductVariables(func(variables android.FixtureProductVariables) {
+		variables.VendorApiLevel = StringPtr("202404")
+	}),
+)
+
 var apexVariationName = "apex28"
 var apexVersion = "28"
 
@@ -2640,6 +2650,7 @@
 		name: "libexternal_headers",
 		export_include_dirs: ["include"],
 		vendor_available: true,
+		product_available: true,
 	}
 	cc_library_headers {
 		name: "libexternal_llndk_headers",
@@ -4784,3 +4795,51 @@
 		return
 	}
 }
+
+// TODO(b/316829758) Remove this test and do not set VNDK version from other tests
+func TestImageVariantsWithoutVndk(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	bp := `
+	cc_binary {
+		name: "binfoo",
+		srcs: ["binfoo.cc"],
+		vendor_available: true,
+		product_available: true,
+		shared_libs: ["libbar"]
+	}
+	cc_library {
+		name: "libbar",
+		srcs: ["libbar.cc"],
+		vendor_available: true,
+		product_available: true,
+	}
+	`
+
+	ctx := prepareForCcTestWithoutVndk.RunTestWithBp(t, bp)
+
+	hasDep := func(m android.Module, wantDep android.Module) bool {
+		t.Helper()
+		var found bool
+		ctx.VisitDirectDeps(m, func(dep blueprint.Module) {
+			if dep == wantDep {
+				found = true
+			}
+		})
+		return found
+	}
+
+	testDepWithVariant := func(imageVariant string) {
+		imageVariantStr := ""
+		if imageVariant != "core" {
+			imageVariantStr = "_" + imageVariant
+		}
+		binFooModule := ctx.ModuleForTests("binfoo", "android"+imageVariantStr+"_arm64_armv8-a").Module()
+		libBarModule := ctx.ModuleForTests("libbar", "android"+imageVariantStr+"_arm64_armv8-a_shared").Module()
+		android.AssertBoolEquals(t, "binfoo should have dependency on libbar with image variant "+imageVariant, true, hasDep(binFooModule, libBarModule))
+	}
+
+	testDepWithVariant("core")
+	testDepWithVariant("vendor")
+	testDepWithVariant("product")
+}
diff --git a/cc/image.go b/cc/image.go
index 4c0c722..9eec255 100644
--- a/cc/image.go
+++ b/cc/image.go
@@ -42,10 +42,18 @@
 )
 
 const (
+	// VendorVariation is the variant name used for /vendor code that does not
+	// compile against the VNDK.
+	VendorVariation = "vendor"
+
 	// VendorVariationPrefix is the variant prefix used for /vendor code that compiles
 	// against the VNDK.
 	VendorVariationPrefix = "vendor."
 
+	// ProductVariation is the variant name used for /product code that does not
+	// compile against the VNDK.
+	ProductVariation = "product"
+
 	// ProductVariationPrefix is the variant prefix used for /product code that compiles
 	// against the VNDK.
 	ProductVariationPrefix = "product."
@@ -112,12 +120,12 @@
 
 // Returns true if the module is "product" variant. Usually these modules are installed in /product
 func (c *Module) InProduct() bool {
-	return c.Properties.ImageVariationPrefix == ProductVariationPrefix
+	return c.Properties.ImageVariation == ProductVariation
 }
 
 // Returns true if the module is "vendor" variant. Usually these modules are installed in /vendor
 func (c *Module) InVendor() bool {
-	return c.Properties.ImageVariationPrefix == VendorVariationPrefix
+	return c.Properties.ImageVariation == VendorVariation
 }
 
 func (c *Module) InRamdisk() bool {
@@ -439,10 +447,8 @@
 		// and vendor and product variants will be created with LLNDK stubs.
 		// The LLNDK libraries need vendor variants even if there is no VNDK.
 		coreVariantNeeded = true
-		if platformVndkVersion != "" {
-			vendorVariants = append(vendorVariants, platformVndkVersion)
-			productVariants = append(productVariants, platformVndkVersion)
-		}
+		vendorVariants = append(vendorVariants, platformVndkVersion)
+		productVariants = append(productVariants, platformVndkVersion)
 		// Generate vendor variants for boardVndkVersion only if the VNDK snapshot does not
 		// provide the LLNDK stub libraries.
 		if needVndkVersionVendorVariantForLlndk {
@@ -453,13 +459,7 @@
 		// for system and product.
 		coreVariantNeeded = true
 		vendorVariants = append(vendorVariants, boardVndkVersion)
-		if platformVndkVersion != "" {
-			productVariants = append(productVariants, platformVndkVersion)
-		}
-	} else if boardVndkVersion == "" {
-		// If the device isn't compiling against the VNDK, we always
-		// use the core mode.
-		coreVariantNeeded = true
+		productVariants = append(productVariants, platformVndkVersion)
 	} else if m.IsSnapshotPrebuilt() {
 		// Make vendor variants only for the versions in BOARD_VNDK_VERSION and
 		// PRODUCT_EXTRA_VNDK_VERSIONS.
@@ -557,11 +557,19 @@
 	}
 
 	for _, variant := range android.FirstUniqueStrings(vendorVariants) {
-		m.AppendExtraVariant(VendorVariationPrefix + variant)
+		if variant == "" {
+			m.AppendExtraVariant(VendorVariation)
+		} else {
+			m.AppendExtraVariant(VendorVariationPrefix + variant)
+		}
 	}
 
 	for _, variant := range android.FirstUniqueStrings(productVariants) {
-		m.AppendExtraVariant(ProductVariationPrefix + variant)
+		if variant == "" {
+			m.AppendExtraVariant(ProductVariation)
+		} else {
+			m.AppendExtraVariant(ProductVariationPrefix + variant)
+		}
 	}
 
 	m.SetRamdiskVariantNeeded(ramdiskVariantNeeded)
@@ -672,9 +680,12 @@
 	} else if variant == android.RecoveryVariation {
 		m.MakeAsPlatform()
 		squashRecoverySrcs(m)
-	} else if strings.HasPrefix(variant, VendorVariationPrefix) {
-		m.Properties.ImageVariationPrefix = VendorVariationPrefix
-		m.Properties.VndkVersion = strings.TrimPrefix(variant, VendorVariationPrefix)
+	} else if strings.HasPrefix(variant, VendorVariation) {
+		m.Properties.ImageVariation = VendorVariation
+
+		if strings.HasPrefix(variant, VendorVariationPrefix) {
+			m.Properties.VndkVersion = strings.TrimPrefix(variant, VendorVariationPrefix)
+		}
 		squashVendorSrcs(m)
 
 		// Makefile shouldn't know vendor modules other than BOARD_VNDK_VERSION.
@@ -684,9 +695,11 @@
 			m.Properties.HideFromMake = true
 			m.HideFromMake()
 		}
-	} else if strings.HasPrefix(variant, ProductVariationPrefix) {
-		m.Properties.ImageVariationPrefix = ProductVariationPrefix
-		m.Properties.VndkVersion = strings.TrimPrefix(variant, ProductVariationPrefix)
+	} else if strings.HasPrefix(variant, ProductVariation) {
+		m.Properties.ImageVariation = ProductVariation
+		if strings.HasPrefix(variant, ProductVariationPrefix) {
+			m.Properties.VndkVersion = strings.TrimPrefix(variant, ProductVariationPrefix)
+		}
 		squashProductSrcs(m)
 	}