Under the slogan 'We are always on.', Volkswagen is enabling visitors to CES 2017 to experience its vision of the mobility of tomorrow: moving away from the classic customer/car relationship towards a new mobile community in the era of digitalization – intelligently connected and sustainably mobile.
Visitors to the show can experience this community live in three theme zones: in the 'Connected Community' the focus is on the interconnected user with his or her personal digital preferences. Using their Volkswagen User-ID, they are able to configure settings easily and take them with them wherever they go. No matter in which vehicle they are sitting, they always have their favorite music, screen configuration and correct seat position with them.
'Intuitive Usability' provides a preview of future control concepts – from a three-dimensional instrument cluster and an Eyetracking function all the way to an AR Head-up Display.
In the 'Smart Sustainability' zone, Volkswagen uses the I.D. show car to demonstrate zero-emission and autonomous driving in combination with a totally new design style. The I.D. brings together the four Volkswagen fields of innovation: Connected Community, Intuitive Usability, Smart Sustainability and Automated Driving.
Yesterday's future is already being reflected in production vehicles today. Volkswagen is known for opening up the use of new technologies to mainstream market very quickly. CES 2017 offers exclusive and extremely exciting insights into Volkswagen's ongoing development efforts.
Connected Community
The Volkswagen User-ID – your personal digital center
At CES, Volkswagen is presenting a range of connectivity features systematically geared to the user's digital needs. Supporting future sustainable mobility concepts, it sets aside the conventional fixed link to a single vehicle, without losing out at all on individuality – quite the opposite.
Volkswagen CES App. It is the key to a unique CES experience: using the app (for iOS and Android), visitors create their own profile – i.e. a Volkswagen User-ID set up for the show with new, innovative functions that are assigned to the user. At the individual user stations, show visitors can also configure personal settings for their personal ID quickly and easily. An array of different functions, such as selecting a favorite ambient light setting, can be performed directly within the app itself. All settings can be stored online and thus taken everywhere with them by the visitors, independent of any specific vehicle. In the Connected Car visitors can try out their personal configuration live.
Home screen. In 2016, Volkswagen introduced the central infotainment display with configurable home screen in the new Golf. In addition to the navigation view, it is possible for content and function-related tiles, such as 'Media', 'Phone' and 'Images', to be individually configured on the high-resolution 9.2-inch screen with its sophisticated glass surface. New at CES: the home screen is no longer linked to the vehicle, but to the individual via their ID. Using their Volkswagen User-ID, visitors sign onto the standard displays that have been set up and configure the screen content according to their wishes. Their settings are associated with their ID and can also be accessed in the Connected Car.
Features on Demand. A predefined feature set per vehicle? Those days will soon be over. In our everyday digital world we are accustomed to there being an app for practically everything we need available to us within seconds. Why not in the car as well? 'Features on Demand' facilitates the retrospective enabling of infotainment functions. Within the app or at the relevant user station at CES, visitors can pick favorites for their personal ID in a virtual Volkswagen store from services such as Digital Voice Enhancement, In Car Communication, Car-Net and Ready for Nav. At CES, the ‘Test' option is available for selection. Later on, scenarios such as Test, Rent and Buy will be offered.
Digital Key. Unveiled at CES 2015, this function, which lets you use your smart phone as your key, is now a standard feature in the USA. Up until now, however, it has been tied to a specific vehicle and only covers remote opening and closing functions. At this year's show, the Digital Key is being shown with a whole array of technical possibilities: all visitors need to do is hold their smart phone containing their Volkswagen User-ID up against the Connected Car's door handle and the doors are immediately unlocked. Access rights can also be managed – and shared – for multiple vehicles. If, for instance, my partner or children want to get something from the car, I as the owner can give them unlocking rights for a certain length of time. It is also possible to imagine using the Digital Key to temporarily grant someone I know access to the car trunk so that they can put something in there or take something out for me.
Partner Services. Your favorite television series or audio book for the journey: streaming services enable you to take them with you into your vehicle and enjoy them from there. Here too it's the Volkswagen User-ID that makes this possible. CES visitors can link to the partner services by app or via the portal at the user station. Want to try them out? The Connected Car is specially equipped for video streaming presentations with two tablets mounted on the backs of the front seats. Once the content concerned has been transferred to the vehicle, control is via the central infotainment display.
Home-Net. At CES Volkswagen is not only connecting driver and car in unprecedented fashion, but on top of that is integrating the home as well. Visitors are, for instance, able to try out the apps Doorbird, 'LG' and Volkswagen My Rules. Doorbird alerts the driver on the central infotainment display whenever anyone is at the front door of their home ringing the video door bell. 'LG' enables such functions as switching the lights at home on or off remotely. The technology helps the forgetful as well: a message appears via the advanced Volkswagen My Rules app whenever you leave something important behind at home. A trigger or connecting a phone causes the app initiate a search for all linked Bluetooth tags. And what's really great is that Volkswagen is launching these MirrorLink-based apps in Europe before the end of the year. In North America, Doorbird is already available.
Amazon Alexa. What would a connected community be without a common language? Volkswagen is demonstrating a perfect combination of the external digital world and its own connectivity features. For instance, the company is making it possible for people fully experience how they can communicate with the virtual assistant Amazon Alexa from inside the vehicle.
Via the hands-free system in their car, users can contact the Alexa Voice Service of their Amazon Echo system at home or in their office. This means that users can operate all of the functions, like control of lights and heating or access to weather information and news, from their car in a very easy and convenient way. Users can also ask Alexa to perform functions such as to resume the audio book begun at home. Alexa considers herself being spoken to whenever she hears her name.
Volkswagen is additionally combining the Alexa Voice Service with functions from Car-Net. This will make it even easier in the future for users to schedule appointments or plan errands and always stay connected and up-to-date in their vehicles even more conveniently. This in turn makes it possible to control Car-Net functions from home or the office: if, for example, you intend to quickly buy some flowers while out in your car later on, you can program your navigation device with the following voice command: "Alexa, ask Volkswagen the way to the nearest flower shop." You can also find out if you can get there without having to stop for fuel: "Alexa, ask Volkswagen how much fuel is left in the tank."
Visitors at the show will have the unique opportunity to try out Alexa's integration in all its forms. Volkswagen is setting up a living room especially for this purpose.
The Connected Car
In the Connected Car, visitors to CES can integrate their personal digital world into the vehicle. What they experience is a systematic continuation of the eGolf Touch, which Volkswagen presented at last year's show. In addition to the integration of functions via the Volkswagen User-ID, another very notable feature is its new, intelligent voice-controlled navigation. This system's natural, free voice control represents a milestone in user interaction.
- The voice control works using natural speech ("I want to fill up", "I'm hungry").
- It can be activated using any keyword selected from a list.
- The activation word can come anywhere in the sentence ("Volkswagen, I want to go to Phoenix" or "I want to go to Phoenix, Volkswagen").
- If asked to do so, the system can explain the reasons for the route it proposes ("Volkswagen, why are you suggesting that filling station?" – "That filling station is located directly on the route").
- The POI search function can be linked with the driver's own Facebook account – the navigation system then takes any favorites saved on Facebook into account in its route planning.
- Through artificial intelligence, the system becomes increasingly familiar with a user and his or her preferences over time and utilizes this knowledge for personalized route suggestions.
Standard apps
The fact that the technologies Volkswagen is showing at CES are not just future visions is proven out by a look at the current Car-Net offering: at the 'Wall of Apps' visitors can learn about the range of standard apps already available today.
- Car-Net App: Conveniently manage the remote functions of the 'Security & Service' pack using your smart phone. Originally used exclusively in electric models, the Car-Net App is also available in an increasing number of models with internal combustion engines – even now nearly all Volkswagens are 'always on'.
- App Connect: This enables practically all smart phones (Android 5.0 or Apple iOS 8.1 and above) to be fully integrated into the vehicle by Apple CarPlay, Android Auto or MirrorLink, and so their use is totally legally while driving.
- Media Control: Using Media Control, users are, for example, able to enter the navigation route into the infotainment system or update the playlist very easily via smart phone or tablet. Video streaming is now also integrated.