In the Future You’ll Be Able to Allow Friends to Unlock your VW with a Smartphone

Besides the Golf R Touch cockpit concept, VW’s lineup at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas also includes the Connected Golf, a study that demonstrates the networking potential of the e-Golf.

The Connected Golf is equipped with the latest generation infotainment system, (MIB II), which incorporates “an enormous range of apps, smartphones and tablets via its progressive interface management system.”

The online-based system allows its various features and applications to be organized into several clusters, all of which are implemented in the Connected Golf. For example, the concept is equipped with Media Control, which enables the integration of tablets and smart watches into the infotainment system and uses a special app that creates a “new-age rear seat entertainment system.”

Another new function is Regular Routes, by which the navigation system automatically detects traffic disruptions on the daily commute to work, for instance, and autonomously suggests an available alternative route. Parking Guide is another new function of the navigation system that finds parking sites that have a high probability of available parking spaces.

Besides these connected applications, the e-Golf displayed in Las Vegas also features the Intelligent Charge system, which according to VW, illustrates how electric cars will be made more convenient in the future.

More specifically, over the mid-term it will be possible to offer inductive charging as an alternative to cable-based charging. Additionally, it will be possible to see in just seconds the charging status of the battery just looking at the vehicle’s exterior lights.

VW will also offer an e-Station Guide, which will not only assist EV drivers in finding a desired charging station, but will also inform them about the location and charging equipment as well as payment options. An additional function will be the Digital Key, which lets third parties use a smartphone or smart watch to temporarily gain access to the vehicle and to start or stop the engine.

Finally, another system demonstrated on the e-Golf is Perfect Parking, which automatically guides the car into parallel and perpendicular parking spaces (in reverse) and can also automatically exit parallel parking spaces.