Volkswagen says it's not in talks with Apple or Google about new 'digital mobility' businesses

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Volkswagen is talking with external partners about launching so-called digital mobility businesses, but is not in any negotiations with either Apple or Google, the carmaker's CEO said on Thursday, pointing to a different direction for its self-driving car efforts.




Matthias Mueller nevertheless refused to name the actual companies Volkswagen actually is speaking with about its development efforts, according to Reuters.

Volkswagen's Digital:Lab, based in Berlin, is working on a "digital mobility platform" with the help of outside partners. The entity is also at work on "vehicle control center," able to pull data on weather, surroundings, and traffic from networked vehicles to generate hazard warnings. Effectively, it's laying the groundwork for self-driving technology.

Mueller's comments suggest however that Volkswagen won't be adopting Google's well-known self-driving platform -- already in road testing -- or working in any sort of partnership with Apple.

Apple is believed to be developing an electric car for launch in 2019 or 2020. Work on self-driving systems has been a part of that, though the first model may or may not ship with them.

While Apple is likely to need an outside partner to help manufacture a vehicle, it's expected to keep any software platforms involved to itself. Volkswagen will probably be limited to integrating CarPlay, Apple's bridge interface allowing people to control an iPhone through a combination of voice and dash commands.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 13
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    If I were to guess, I'd say VW will partner with a Chinese entity or possibly the Chinese government to accelerate their self-driving car timeline.
    edited April 2016
  • Reply 2 of 13
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,822member
    Perhaps an app to monitor emissions might be useful for VW?  ;)
    pscooter63fotoformatlordjohnwhorfinJanNLbadmonk
  • Reply 3 of 13
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    Perhaps an app to monitor emissions might be useful for VW?  ;)
    That applied only to certain diesel vehicles and it should be noted that Mitsubishi had been cheating these same emissions tests for 25 years. They are arguably going to be facing even bigger fines.
  • Reply 4 of 13
    isteelersisteelers Posts: 738member
    Perhaps an app to monitor emissions might be useful for VW?  ;)
    That applied only to certain diesel vehicles and it should be noted that Mitsubishi had been cheating these same emissions tests for 25 years. They are arguably going to be facing even bigger fines.
    I thought Mitsubishi was cheating on their mileage not emissions, much like Hyundai was when they got busted a few years ago. I would think that anything to do with pollution would carry much bigger fines.  Still, I enjoy my GTI more than any other car I have ever owned. 
  • Reply 5 of 13
    VW are a bunch of liars and cheats. I hope they go out of business. Apple should stay far away from them as I know I will in the future.
  • Reply 6 of 13
    Perhaps an app to monitor emissions might be useful for VW?  ;)
    That applied only to certain diesel vehicles and it should be noted that Mitsubishi had been cheating these same emissions tests for 25 years. They are arguably going to be facing even bigger fines.
    They were cheating on fuel economy. 
  • Reply 7 of 13
    sog35 said:
    why would Apple partner with a cheating company?

    Samsung would be a much better match for VW.

    Glad I didn't buy a Passat last year.
    Well - for one because that company, based on latest numbers is the largest automaker in the world, and has been in the top-2 for quite a while.

    I'll not defend what was done, but unlike past US presidents who stayed in office after having lied to the public and the UN about their justification to go to war with another countries, Volkswagen's CEO, who was the best-paid manager in Germany by far, stepped down as a consequence of what happened.

    And finally, once one starts to make arguments like this one, one should rather ask why Apple would keep their HQ in a country where government agencies are trying to force it to destroy the fundamental IT security mechanisms built into their products. They'd be way better off if they relocated to Germany.....
    palomine
  • Reply 8 of 13
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,822member
    Perhaps an app to monitor emissions might be useful for VW?  ;)
    That applied only to certain diesel vehicles and it should be noted that Mitsubishi had been cheating these same emissions tests for 25 years. They are arguably going to be facing even bigger fines.
    It was just a light hearted jest.  I have no doubt most car makers did the same thing.
  • Reply 9 of 13
    sixcolors said:
    VW are a bunch of liars and cheats. I hope they go out of business
    Apart from wishing 400.000+ hard working employees the sack because of a few rogue managers in engine development decided to trick their way to their annual bonus, your choice of cars (& bikes, trucks, buses) would be pretty diminished: VW, Audi, Porsche, Skoda, SEAT, Lamborghini, Bentley, Bugatti, Ducati, MAN, Scania All VW, not all cheats and quite some interesting brands for Apple to be associated with.
    welshdogflorianvk
  • Reply 10 of 13
    foggyhillfoggyhill Posts: 4,767member
    It's going to be a 20B dollars hit from their dumbass moves and a big hit to its reputation impacting future revenues, whoever thought what they did was a good idea should be stoned by other VW employees.
  • Reply 11 of 13
    welshdogwelshdog Posts: 1,907member
    sixcolors said:
    VW are a bunch of liars and cheats. I hope they go out of business. Apple should stay far away from them as I know I will in the future.
    Internet hyperbole. Ignore.
    florianvk
  • Reply 12 of 13
    welshdog said:
    sixcolors said:
    VW are a bunch of liars and cheats. I hope they go out of business. Apple should stay far away from them as I know I will in the future.
    Internet hyperbole. Ignore.
    I'd normally tend to agree and it's 100% true for this forum, but the public witch hunt that has hit VW since "Dieselgate" news broke has been pretty real and horrendous. Yes, mistakes were made, and yes, they have to pay for it (and they certainly do!), but given the achievements of that company over almost 80 years, it still seems very much out of scale.
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