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VW Wants to Let Customers Sample New-Car Software
Volkswagen Group says it hopes to connect better with customers by allowing them to wirelessly download electronic features and try them out for a few weeks.
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Volkswagen Group says it hopes to connect better with customers by allowing them to wirelessly download electronic features and try them out for a few weeks.
The technique would give owners time to determine whether they do or don’t want to buy and use features that enhance comfort, powertrain performance, the infotainment system and more. Frank Welsch, who heads technical development for the company, tells Automotive News that wireless downloads also would enable customers to add and subtract features without returning to the dealership.
The concept involves software tweaks for hardware already in the vehicle. Examples of such systems are adaptive cruise control, lane-departure warning, navigation aids, personalized instrument panel displays, satellite radio and voice-activated controls, according to Welsch.
Last year a survey by J.D. Power confirmed that car owners typically ignore or specifically don’t want several tech features built into their vehicles. Welsch notes that buyers also don’t have time to sit through explanations of all such features when they take delivery of their vehicles.
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