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The new Passat is the car for frequent drivers. Volkswagen is now bringing this popular company car to market equipped with the next development stage of operating and Infotainment systems. Hardware and software together form an intuitive interface with which onboard convenience and communication can be optimally adjusted by means of online-based functions and services. In the Passat, five components combine to form the current level of connected mobility: a new generation of Infotainment, an online connectivity unit (OCU) with integrated eSIM, “Volkswagen We” as an online ecosystem, the “Digital Cockpit” and a head-up display.

Online Infotainment. The new Passat boasts a standard “Composition” radio system (including 6.5-inch display) as well as the optional “Discover Media” (8.0-inch) and “Discover Pro” (9.2-inch) navigation systems. They are coupled with an online connectivity unit, which is always online (on request) – even without a connected smartphone – thanks to eSIM. New functions and an extensively redesigned menu navigation have been introduced in the “Discover Media” and “Discover Pro” navigations systems. They belong to the third generation of the modular infotainment matrix (MIB3). The superior “Discover Pro” navigation system is now also equipped with “App Connect Wireless”. This means that “Apple CarPlay™” can be used to integrate many iPhone apps wirelessly.

MIB and” Volkswagen We” as one unit. Thanks to the OCU and eSIM, the Passat will be synchronised with a completely new range of internet-based information and service options. “Volkswagen We” is a digital ecosystem developed by Volkswagen for this purpose. It enables apps, online functions and services to be offered conveniently. It couldn’t be simpler: via the “Volkswagen We” online portal, customers receive their individual “Volkswagen ID” with which they can access functions and services such as those of “We Connect” and “We Connect Plus” directly through the Passat’s Infotainment system or a connected smartphone.

An overview of the “We Connect” and “We Connect Plus” functions.

“We Connect” (free of charge) and “We Connect Plus” (free of charge for a year) are part of the Passat package as standard. 

A few examples of “We Connect” functions: 

• Status information about doors that may be open or lights turned on, the current parking position and “Automatic Accident Notification”
• In connection with “Discover Pro”, compatible Samsung smartphones can serve as vehicle keys. 
• It is also possible to download “In-Car apps” such as “We Park” (cash-free parking) and “We Experience” (special offers from restaurants, shops or filling stations) via the Infotainment system.

“We Connect Plus” contains additional functions (depending on equipment) such as 

• an online anti-theft alarm and online auxiliary heater – controlled by smartphone with the “We Connect” app. 
• The Plus range also includes Online Route Calculation, Online Map Update and, of course, Online Voice Control. 
• In addition, the internet radio and Apple Music and TIDAL streaming services can be used with an optionally bookable data volume. 
• With “We Connect Plus”, “We Deliver” can also be booked in order to make the Passat the recipient of deliveries and services. 

The In-Car apps (“WE Park”, “We Experience” and “We deliver”) are being launched to market with the Passat in certain regions in Germany with selected partners.

Article source: www.volkswagen-newsroom.com

Volkswagen Group and its industry partners from the gas supply, network, and filling station operation sectors will showcase their products and services at the 3rd CNG Mobility Days in Berlin (25–26 June 2019), presenting an overview of the current situation and the future of CNG. Volkswagen Group brands will also be exhibiting their latest CNG models in the passenger car, truck and bus segments.

In parallel with the advancing electrification of its fleet, Volkswagen Group and its brands continue to rely on CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) as an alternative drive technology for decarbonizing road transport, and the product range has been revised and expanded again with this in mind. Volkswagen Group currently offers the widest selection of CNG vehicles of any manufacturer, by a substantial margin. At the annual general meeting in mid-May 2019, Herbert Diess, Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG, announced that CNG will continue to play an important role for the Group in the future: “We are the global market leader for gas drive systems, and better positioned than our competitors. We also plan to continue further expanding and improving this technology.”

Using CNG as an energy source for automobiles meaningfully contributes to reducing emissions, as well as representing a cost-efficient customer alternative to petrol and diesel. “Volkswagen is committed to the Paris Climate Agreement. CNG has an important role to play in the alternative drive systems strategy that runs alongside the Group’s electrification offensive. It is sufficiently proven, immediately available, efficient and cost-effective. Furthermore, CNG cars are not affected by driving bans in city centres,” explains Stephen Neumann, Volkswagen Group Representative for CNG Mobility. He adds: “Refuelling with biomethane or e-gas results in an even better CO2 balance. Biomethane is obtained from organic residues, while e-gas is produced from excess green electricity (power-to-gas). Both can easily be fed into the gas network and mixed with any amount of fossil natural gas.” Volkswagen Group brands and their industry partners have been working in this field for some time; Audi has been operating the world’s first industrial power-to-gas plant in Werlte (Emsland) since 2013, for example, with the Audi e-gas produced from wind power being fed into the natural gas grid – making Audi both a participant and a catalyst in the energy revolution. Green energy is made available to vehicle customers, while at the same time the storage of fluctuating eco-power and its research in practice enables the rapid expansion of wind and solar energy, which is also important to the success of e-mobility.

The CNG model range becomes ever-more attractive 

Volkswagen Group currently offers 17 models in various vehicle segments. Two more models will soon be added, in the form of the ŠKODA Scala2, which will celebrate its world première as a CNG variant at the CNG Mobility Days, and the ŠKODA Kamiq3. The range encompasses everything from the small car segment through the compact class at Volkswagen, Audi, SEAT and ŠKODA, to Audi premium vehicles in the business segment and light commercial vehicles. Thanks to the ever-expanding CNG model range, sales figures in 2018 almost doubled compared to the previous year.

In the new CNG models such as the Polo TGI4 (66 kW/90 PS) and Golf TGI5 (96 kW/130 PS), the fuel tank has been significantly reduced in size, an additional CNG cylinder has been installed in the vehicles, and a quasi-monovalent CNG drive system has been developed. This combination of factors represents Volkswagen’s response to many customers’ preference for increased range in natural gas operation – a fully established concept as seen in the long-range Caddy6 from Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles. In addition, the VW Golf TGI and Golf Variant TGI7 (96 kW/130 PS) have been equipped with an engine optimised for CNG use, featuring particularly low fuel consumption, higher power output and improved engine output even at low engine speeds. 

In the latest ADAC Ecotest, the Polo TGI proved that CNG models can be economical, clean and at the same time very attractive. It was one of seven models with the highest rating of five stars, and the only vehicle with a combustion engine in this group. With 95 points, it achieved the best result so far in 2019. With the SEAT Arona 1.0 TGI8, the Spanish company is the first manufacturer worldwide to offer CNG technology as a model in SUV format, the fastest-growing vehicle segment. The new 2.0 TFSI engine from Audi, as used in the A5 Sportback g-tron9 for example, emphasises that a CNG model can also be very sporty and dynamic. The power unit, which recently won the International Engine of the Year award in the 150 to 250 PS category, can also be used as a CNG engine.

CNG is of huge importance for trucks and buses too
For the first time, the MAN and SCANIA brands will also be reporting on the latest developments for trucks and buses, as part of the CNG Mobility Days. According to the new emissions standards in the European Union, by 2030 CO2 emissions must fall 30% from 2019 levels – a goal that is virtually unattainable using conventional drive types. CNG, which already has 15% lower fuel consumption than diesel vehicles, is an immediately available and usable alternative for trucks and buses. At present, a particularly persuasive argument in favour of using CNG – especially for haulage companies – is the exemption from tolls for natural gas-powered trucks.

Circle of CNG industry partners expanded
The action alliance of Volkswagen Group with industry partners gained further momentum recently, with the accession to the CNG industry group of natural gas filling station operator OrangeGas and Italian natural gas transmission system operator Snam S.p.A. (Società Nazionale Metanodotti). The objective of the CNG Mobility industry group is to proportionately expand the vehicle range, infrastructure and filling station network together. 

Sustainable travel
The subject area of sustainability is also reflected in the design of the CNG Mobility Days, in which great importance has been attached to climate-friendly implementation to reduce the event’s own CO2 footprint. This has affected choices in relation to furniture, conference seating and materials, the selection of local contractors, and the regional sourcing of catering services to avoid unnecessary transport and excess waste.

Article source: www.volkswagen-newsroom.com

It is a battle of the technology concepts at the “Goodwood Festival of Speed” (04 to 07 July 2019) – electric drivetrain versus petrol engine. Volkswagen travels with the ID.R electric race car to the famous motorsport revival in southern England, where it will take aim at the course record, which has stood for exactly 20 years. Back in 1999, Nick Heidfeld (D) set the fastest time of 41.6 seconds in a Formula 1 car, the McLaren-Mercedes MP4/13, driven by a V10 naturally-aspirated engine generating roughly 574 kW (780 PS). Only last year, the ID.R, which has a system performance of 500 kW (680 PS), set a new record for electric cars in Goodwood. Romain Dumas (F) was at the wheel of the ID.R, the sporty spearhead of the fully-electric ID. family of production vehicles. In doing so, he also set the third fastest time in the history of the event.

“A change is taking place in the field of production vehicles and in motorsport. Electric cars are becoming increasingly more powerful and have long since reached the same level as cars with combustion engines in many areas,” says Volkswagen Motorsport Director Sven Smeets. “In Goodwood, we want to show that the electric drivetrain in the ID.R can mix it with Formula 1. However, whether or not Romain Dumas can successfully challenge Nick Heidfeld’s track record also depends on the conditions at the weekend.” 

Weather and track condition play crucial roles

The unsettled weather in southern England and the condition of the route in the grounds of Goodwood House are just a few of the uncertainties, with which the team is confronted. “It is difficult to judge correctly how much grip the track will provide. That changes all the time over the course of the weekend,” says driver Romain Dumas. Volkswagen partner Bridgestone is supplying the ID.R with particularly soft, and therefore extremely grippy, race tyres for the sprint up the 1.86-kilometre route. The tyre manufacturer’s technicians are familiar with the challenges faced at the “Festival of Speed” – Nick Heidfeld set his all-time record on Bridgestone tyres back in 1999. 

The biggest differences in the technical configuration of the ID.R compared to last year are the size of the lithium-ion batteries on board and the energy management. “The latest evolution of the ID.R has been optimised for a sprint,” explains François-Xavier Demaison, Technical Director at Volkswagen Motorsport. “In Goodwood, the only things that count are maximum power and minimum weight. With drive on board, the ID.R weighs less than 1,000 kilograms.” The ID.R covered roughly 20 kilometres when it set the all-time record at the “Race to the Clouds” on Pikes Peak (USA) in June 2018 and the electric record at the Nürburgring-Nordschleife (D) about four weeks ago. That is more than ten times the length of the route at the “Festival of Speed”.

Away from the track too, Volkswagen will have plenty to offer the 200,000 plus spectators expected at the event. Fans and anyone interested can form their own impression of the fascination that is electromobility at an elaborately designed exhibition stand. Among the exhibits will be the ID.31, other models will follow. With its electromobility offensive, Volkswagen brand is planning to become the global number one by 2025, with more than 20 fully-electric models and over one million cars sold every year – zero-emission and networked.

Article source: www.volkswagen-newsroom.com

Volkswagen AG intends to group more than 5,000 digital experts together in its new “Car.Software” unit with Group responsibility for software in the vehicle by 2025. The company plans to develop significantly more software in the car and for vehicle-related ser-vices itself and to boost the in-house share of software development from the current figure of less than 10 percent to at least 60 percent by 2025. In future, there is to be one uniform software platform with all the basic functions for all vehicles throughout the Group. This will consist of the vehicle operating system “vw.os” and the Volkswagen Automotive Cloud. By 2025, all new Group models are to run on this software platform. The first vehicle based on this software platform will be the ID.31, which is to make its world debut at the IAA International Motor Show this year. Currently, more than 20,000 potential customers have registered for the pre-booking of this model.

“We are platform professionals for hardware and are now transferring this competence to software development,” says Christian Senger, Member of the Board of Management of the Volkswagen brand responsible for Digital Car and Services. “We will develop software with uniform basic functions for all Group brands, which will allow us to drastically reduce complexity. In the medium term, we will benefit from the scale effects of our Group. This is especially meaningful in the software field and will lead to tremendous cost advantages,” Christian Senger adds.

Currently, up to 70 control units with operating software from 200 different suppliers need to be integrated in Volkswagen brand vehicles. In addition, there are different systems with similar functions within the Group, for example for infotainment and navigation. One uniform operating system with the same basic functions for all brands and the use of the Volkswagen Automotive Cloud for all Group models will considerably simplify the situation.

The same applies to the brands’ “digital ecosystems” which will be used for offering the services. All the brands need certain basic services, for example a simple search function for electric charging stations. At Volkswagen Passenger Cars, this service is called “We Charge”. For example, the basic functions “search for nearby stations” or “pay with different modes of payment” could be standardized for all brands.

With its standard software platform, Volkswagen is aiming to achieve significant economies of scale. In future, the vehicle fleet will include more than 10 million fully connected new vehicles per year, which will significantly reduce the cost of integrating the software in each individual vehicle. At the same time, digital ecosystems with a growing number of vehicles connected will become increasingly attractive for new partners and new customers.

Strengthening software competence and alignment towards modern digital development work

By 2025, Volkswagen intends to group more than 5,000 experts in competence areas such as software development, electrical and electronics development, connectivity, automated driving, user experience (UX), cloud architecture and e-commerce together in an agile “Car.Software” unit. They will work in five key areas and develop packages extending across the brands.

The objective is to orient the unit towards the requirements of innovative software development. For this purpose, Volkswagen will be contributing flexible working models, the latest collaboration technologies and agile types of cooperation. This year, about 500 experts are to work together in this agile software unit. The figure is already due to rise to about 2,000 by 2020. 

In addition to grouping together experts from brands and companies within the Group, Volkswagen intends to boost the workforce especially by recruiting new specialists and consolidating strategic participations and acquisitions. It is intended to actively present the new software unit and to target IT and tech experts. 

“We want to create a powerhouse for the digital car and cloud platform with the best digital experts in the world. We are convinced that Volkswagen will show what it can do. We will make software the core competency in our company,” says Christian Senger.