Good news for VW drivers who own an Android smartphone. The traditional German manufacturer wants to assure its customers of 15 years of support for Android Automotive. This means that in the future, when buying a car, you won’t have to worry about your vehicle not receiving software and security updates after a short period of time.
Android Auto safe for 15 years
Software in cars is playing an increasingly important role. Hardly any manufacturer makes this as clear as Tesla. While the U.S. manufacturer cannot keep up with German manufacturers in terms of build quality, it is miles ahead of them when it comes to software. VW is apparently also aware of this. That’s why the company now wants to strengthen its cooperation with Google. As has now become known, Volkswagen wants to support Android Auto in its vehicles for 15 years. This means that the next few years are secured for owners of an Android device. This now emerges from a report from Ars Technica. With the help of Android Auto, it is by no means only possible to make calls or operate apps like Spotify.
On top of that, the operating system for your car gets access to essential vehicle settings. Manufacturers like Polestar and Honda are already showing how well this works in detail. Consequently, it should be possible to control things like air conditioning or seat heating via Google’s operating system in the future. The durability of the support is particularly pleasing. Since cars are increasingly becoming smartphones on wheels, software support also plays a major role. In view of the disproportionately higher costs, three years are naturally not enough here, as is the case with many smartphone models. If a person buys a vehicle from a Volkswagen Group manufacturer, he or she should also have the security of being kept up to date for many years in terms of software.
- BMW is taking a similar approach: BMW will rely on Android Automotive in the future
A competitive advantage for VW
Of course, as time goes on, there are likely to be black sheep in the car manufacturing sector who only give their software appropriate support for a short time. As models like leasing and car subscriptions become more and more desirable, many end customers don’t even notice. However, this is not really sustainable. After all, a modern car without correspondingly long software support loses significant value, because not only does it lose a number of important functions. In terms of safety, too, up-to-date software should by no means be underestimated. In the context of the Ars Technica report, Dirk Hilgenberg, CEO of VW’s software division Cariad, emphasizes that they see this as a competitive advantage for their own brands. With the announcement, Cariad finally has some good news to share. The car software experts have had to contend with extensive problems in recent months, causing delays in release.
