Volkswagen has announced that all ID. models will now receive regular software updates via mobile data transfer, which had previously been expected this summer.
The company is taking the next big step towards becoming a software-oriented mobility provider with its ACCELERATE strategy.
The updates had previously only been available as part of a test phase for customers who had registered with the “ID. First Movers Club”. The “ID. Software 2.3” will offer new functions and optimises existing ones. Networking the entire ID. fleet will allow Volkswagen to lay the foundation for new, customer-oriented business models.
In future, the company plans to provide its customers with free software around every twelve weeks to keep the vehicles up to date and improve the customer experience. Volkswagen is also aiming to generate increased revenue during the usage phase with new, data-based business models – for services and functions that the customer can now order as required, whenever these are needed.
“The new updates are a central functionality of the digital, connected car. They will quickly become normal for our customers, in the same way as they have for their smartphones,” says Thomas Ulbrich, Member of the Board of Management for Technical Development. “Software development is iterative and fast. We work in short cycles, like a tech company, and provide updates to our customers at correspondingly short intervals.”
Some of the new functions affect the ID. Light, a light strip at the bottom of the windscreen. It now gives the driver information that can provide intuitive support for energy-saving driving, and when driving with the automatic distance control system “Active Cruise Control”. Image processing has also been improved for the multifunction camera, allowing it to recognise motorcycles and other road users even more swiftly.