The extent of our cars’ connectivity

The extent of our cars’ connectivity

When Frank Welsch talks about the development of a new car, the member of the Board of Management makes a comparison: “Ten years ago, software in a new car consisted of ten million lines of code. In the meantime, that number has grown to 100 million.” That’s a ten-fold increase in just one generation of cars. The figures show that, more than ever before, modern cars are characterized by software. “The way in which we bring new models to series production readiness has been fundamentally changed as a result,” says Welsch.

Arguably the biggest challenge for the developers is the car’s internal and external network. The reason: all of a vehicle’s systems have to exchange data on a constant basis to ensure optimal functions. To the specialists this means that, whereas they used to be able to develop individual functions independently, they now have to take many interdependencies into consideration from the outset.

In order to handle the high work volume, the company employs more than 11,000 technicians and engineers in research and development at the headquarters in Wolfsburg alone. Additional experts working at locations around the world and for suppliers are also involved.

One of the special tasks being worked on this year is the world premiere of the new Golf. “This car is the heart of our brand,” says Welsch. That’s why the development is also something extra special. Just a few months before start of production, the model is right on schedule: the final stage of development, in which all functions are being tested repeatedly under real-life road conditions.

With the new Golf as well, the particular challenge lies in the interaction between the functions. One example is the digital key: customers can use this function in the future to unlock their cars and start up the engine with their smartphones as well as to assign digital keys to family members via an app. The digital key system also enables access to a number of functions by way of the smartphone. The challenge for developers: they have to ensure that the data exchange between the systems always works smoothly.

As was already the case with its predecessors, the new Golf will again set the standard for its class, especially in regard to connectivity and digital functions.

Welsch again makes a comparison to illustrate the extent of the change: “The infotainment system in the new Golf alone consists of more than ten million lines of code. That would have been sufficient for an entire car just a few years ago.”