Photo: Volkswagen
The auto industry’s most elaborate and ambitious plan to completely transform cars and business into a digital model for the 21st century was announced this year by German manufacturer Volkswagen.
The group, perhaps the world’s largest for this industry, intends to completely transform the way in which a customer chooses and buys a car, reshape what owning a car means and morph the vehicles themselves into high-tech gadgets the likes of which the world has never seen.
The plan will be set in motion next year, when Volkswagen is also expected to present its new brand identity and logo. But well before that bridge needs to be crossed, the carmaker is building the roads leading up to it.
On Wednesday, Volkswagen announced the purchase of a Swedish telematics company, a move that is one of the few such investments made this year by VW.
The company in question is called WirelessCar, and it was until this week owned by Volvo Information Technology. The Germans purchased a 75.1 percent stake in the company for SEK 1.1 billion, or around $121.4 million.
WirelessCar will be helping VW make advancements in the field of vehicle connectivity. The Swedes currently employ 370 people and have been developing digital, safety and emergency systems for around 3.5 million vehicles worldwide.
VW intends to have WirelessCar provide it with the tools required to build its digital ecosystem, including full connectivity in future cars via the Volkswagen Automotive Cloud.
“Our aim is to develop Volkswagen into a mobility provider with a fully-connected fleet,” said in a statement Christoph Hartung, Head of Digital & New Business at Volkswagen.
“Our customers will be able to use digital value-added services in their cars or on their mobile devices at all times.”
Aside for WirelessCar, Volkswagen is already working with IT giant Microsoft and digital strategy group diconium for the fulfillment of its plan.
The plan will be set in motion next year, when Volkswagen is also expected to present its new brand identity and logo. But well before that bridge needs to be crossed, the carmaker is building the roads leading up to it.
On Wednesday, Volkswagen announced the purchase of a Swedish telematics company, a move that is one of the few such investments made this year by VW.
The company in question is called WirelessCar, and it was until this week owned by Volvo Information Technology. The Germans purchased a 75.1 percent stake in the company for SEK 1.1 billion, or around $121.4 million.
WirelessCar will be helping VW make advancements in the field of vehicle connectivity. The Swedes currently employ 370 people and have been developing digital, safety and emergency systems for around 3.5 million vehicles worldwide.
VW intends to have WirelessCar provide it with the tools required to build its digital ecosystem, including full connectivity in future cars via the Volkswagen Automotive Cloud.
“Our aim is to develop Volkswagen into a mobility provider with a fully-connected fleet,” said in a statement Christoph Hartung, Head of Digital & New Business at Volkswagen.
“Our customers will be able to use digital value-added services in their cars or on their mobile devices at all times.”
Aside for WirelessCar, Volkswagen is already working with IT giant Microsoft and digital strategy group diconium for the fulfillment of its plan.
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