Driving a premium future

VOLKSWAGEN MAKES THEIR CASE FOR SMART CONNECTIVITY

The next two decades will be telling for the motor industry. While the past three have seen the focus fall firmly on improving safety and fuel consumption – with massive strides having been made in this regard – industry engineers will focus their attention on connecting cars to people in the virtual world, on electrification, and advancements in autonomous driving.

These are the areas where the current disruption of the motor industry is playing itself out, as legacy manufacturers scramble to define their 4IR strategies.

Globally, Volkswagen has dipped more than a few toes in these digital waters. Yet, they (along with many other legacy brands) still lag behind Tesla Motors’ electrification and automation advances.

Locally, Volkswagen recognises that South Africa needs to pick up the pace if our market has any chance of keeping up with our primary feeder of market tech advancements. The most significant example is the new Golf 8 – set to arrive in South Africa by the end of 2020 – which will likely be the last ICE-powered Golf.

COMING UP…

Volkswagen has a few aces up their sleeve, however. The electric ID.3 is already a reality, we’ve even spotted one near Hartebeespoort recently, presumably during a round of warm weather testing at the Gerotek vehicle testing facility north of the capital.

What makes the ID.3 unique from, say, the e-Golf, is that its chassis is not a conversion of an ICE vehicle, which has obvious benefits in terms of battery size and position, lack of drivetrain and so on. And while the ID.3 itself is not destined for local release, the larger ID4 SUV will make its way here within the next two years.

Volkswagen also aims to establish the car-sharing market in South Africa…and Africa. Although the concept is quite simple and works well in other parts of the world, a workable solution is far from ready for launch here. To use the service, you sign up for a monthly fee, and when you need a vehicle, you open an app, find the nearest available networked car, unlock it with your smartphone, and off you go. At your destination, you park it, and it’s ready for the next user.

With its ever-expanding range straddling both the premium and value ends of the South African new car market, Volkswagen has entrenched itself as a true ‘people’s car’ brand over the last six decades. And as the future beckons, the country’s largest passenger car maker is gearing up to connect people to their cars in a big way. Last month, Volkswagen shared their plans with Driven during a premium drive experience in the Western Cape.

The idea is a bit of a mind-bender considering the South African context, where we are overly dependent on private transport, and lack reliable, regulated public transport options. In Europe, people have already made the paradigm shift that individual car ownership is not always necessary.

Smart connectivity is an even bigger deal for Volkswagen in South Africa, and the brand is ready to implement right now.

The brand’s new We Connect Go app offers an easy plug-and-play connectivity solution between your car’s ‘DataPlug’ and your smartphone. Fitted as standard to all new Volkswagens from April 2020 – or purchased from a dealer for all cars except the previous generation Polo Vivo, as far as back the 2008 model year – the DataPlug tracks vehicle data such as fuel level, mileage, and battery voltage and shares it to the app on your device. It also logs trip data for tax purposes, can send a service request to your nearest dealership, and lets you participate in driving challenges that award you redeemable points for driving safely and efficiently.

Of particular value in South Africa, the app is also connected to 24-hour roadside assistance and breakdown service.

KEEP ON GROWING

Volkswagen announced a record 20.4% market share in 2019, their highest in 23 years. To ensure that they maintain this momentum, several new models and model upgrades are on the cards for the year.

Two new T-Cross derivatives – the 1.5 Highline and 1.0 Trendline – will arrive during the second quarter along with the Golf GTI TCR. The T-Roc is expected in the second half of the year, together with a new proudly South African Polo Vivo. Towards the end of the year, the new Golf 8 will be Volkswagen’s most significant new vehicle launch this year, while the Tiguan goes under the knife soon after that.

From the commercial vehicle side, we will see the introduction of the T6.1 Caravelle with an upgraded turbodiesel engine, as well as a 190 kW V6 Amarok.

LAST WORD

2020 will undoubtedly be a significant year for the Volkswagen brand, one that will not only pave the way for Volkswagen’s development push into Africa over the next decade, but also lay the foundation for a new technology and connectivity paradigm. It’s now or never, and we intend to cloesely monitor developments during the next few months.