Volkswagen finally jumps on the in-car app bandwagon. A preview of the corporation’s major plans for a unified in-car software platform, will soon release an app store created to suit its wide portfolio of car brands. Drivers will discover well-known third party apps inside, like Tiktok, Spotify, Yelp, and more, that have been added to enhance the in-car experience.
The app store will debut this year with a select number of new Audi models and eventually expand to include Porsche, Lamborghini, and Bentley vehicles.
By doing this, Volkswagen Group contributes to the growing trend of smartphone-like experiences in automobiles. Mercedes-Benz also revealed last month that the 2024 E-Class will be the first model to come standard with built-in apps for TikTok, Zoom, the Vivaldi web browser, and other services.
The Volkswagen Group’s app store debut is considerably more extensive. The apps that are now accessible cover a wide range of topics, such as music and podcasts, video conferencing, weather, parking, EV charging, games, news, integration with smart homes, and more.
Starting this summer, the app store will be made available alongside a large portion of the 2023 lineup from Audi in the US, Canada, Mexico, and Europe. This lineup includes vehicles like the A4/A5, Q5, A6/A7, A8, Q8 E-tron, and E-tron GT.
The carmaker claims that it showcases a brand-new infotainment stack called One.Infotainment, which will be completely different from the app store and won’t be accessible via over-the-air updates on current models. The app store was created in collaboration with Harman, an automotive supplier that is now a division of Samsung.
The CEO of Cariad, the internal software business of the VW Group, Dirk Hilgenberg, said: “It’s a new level of digital experiences we want to exhibit. Cariad spokesperson Fabian Lebersorger claimed, “we have modified our roadmaps to more realistic time frames.”
