#Innovation

In the future, digital products based on artificial intelligence (AI) will play a key role for the Volkswagen Group. New infotainment and navigation applications, high-performance speech recognition, extended vehicle functions and the deep integration of digital ecosystems in the car will bring considerable benefits to customers, enhancing the product experience. This is why Volkswagen has established a specialized “AI Lab”. The company will act as a globally networked competence center and incubator. AI Lab will identify new product ideas for the Volkswagen Group, and coordinate them internally within the Group. As the need arises, this will also include collaboration with the tech sector in Europe, China and North America. By adopting this approach, the Volkswagen Group intends to simplify collaboration with technology companies with a view to making optimum use of the innovation potential and speed of the AI sector. The objective is to rapidly develop digital prototypes and transfer them to the Group brands for implementation.

At CES 2024, the world's leading electronics trade fair held from 9 to 12 January, Volkswagen will present the first vehicles in which the artificial-intelligence-based chatbot ChatGPT is integrated into its IDA voice assistant. In future, customers will have seamless access to the constantly growing artificial intelligence database in all Volkswagen models equipped with the IDA voice assistantand have researched content read out to them while driving. Cerence Chat Pro from technology partner Cerence Inc. is the foundation of the new function, which offers a uniquely intelligent, automotive-grade ChatGPT integration. Volkswagen will be the first volume manufacturer to offer Chat GPT as a standard feature from the second quarter of 2024 in many production vehicles.

Volkswagen Group brand Elli is launching an intelligent solution across Europe for electric vehicle fleets. With Elli Fleet Charging, companies in Germany, Italy, Spain, and Austria are now able to manage and cost-optimize their fleet charging. After a market introduction phase lasting several months, over 650 German companies and fleet managers are already successfully using Elli’s product.

October 23rd, 2023 - By 2030, there could be up to 10,000 autonomous shuttles on Hamburg's roads. That’s the goal of an agreement between the Federal Ministry of Transport and the Hanseatic City of Hamburg, which is now being brought to reality.

October 18, 2023 – The TRATON GROUP has established TRATON Charging Solutions to accelerate access to charging locations for its brands’ customers and facilitate the transition of their fleets to battery electric commercial vehicles. TRATON Charging Solutions is a new service entity of the TRATON GROUP dedicated to simplifying electric commercial transport. It offers a range of capabilities, including contracting, invoicing, route planning, and utilization insights, to ensure a seamless charging experience for electric commercial vehicle operators.

Ahead of the official media unveiling, Volkswagen this morning presented the new Tiguan to some 10,000 employees at the works meeting at the Wolfsburg plant. The Tiguan is one of the most successful Volkswagen models of the present day and is therefore of particular importance to the company: Since it went on sale in 2007, 7.6 million units have been produced – almost one million of them in the past two years. Since 2018, the Tiguan has been the bestselling model of not only Volkswagen Passenger Cars but also the Volkswagen Group. The new, third generation of the bestselling SUV will roll off the assembly line in Wolfsburg from fall 2023 and come onto the market in the first quarter of 2024. With its familiar compact dimensions, the Tiguan marries progressive technologies with charismatic design.

The Volkswagen Group is reorganizing its procurement of electronic parts and semiconductors to ensure supply over the long term and, in doing so, securing itself a leading position in terms of technology as well as competitiveness. To this end, the Group has developed a new strategy for the procurement of parts with electronic components.

The Volkswagen Group is strengthening its position on the Chinese automotive market with cooperations between the VW brand and XPENG and between Audi and SAIC. The Group is thus forging ahead with its local electrification strategy. The aim is to swiftly tap into new customer and market segments, thereby systematically leveraging the potential of China’s dynamically growing e-mobility market.