Volkswagen Autonomy

History

2019: Opening

At the end of October, 2019 announced Volkswagen creation of new subsidiary company which will focus on projects in the field of unmanned vehicles. The structure under the name Volkswagen Autonomy was headed by the senior vice president of VW for pilotless driving Alexander Hittsinger who was earlier also working in Apple corporation.

The head office Volkswagen Autonomy is in the German Wolfsburg, and later is going to open representations in Silicon Valley and China.

Announced Volkswagen creation of new subsidiary company which will focus on projects in the field of unmanned vehicles

According to the press release, Volkswagen Autonomy will integrate activity of the German carmaker "on development of the pilotless systems, since the fourth level". In total there are six levels six. The fourth level (Level 4) provides the high level of automation at which intervention of the person is not necessary, but a system still has restrictions which are not allowing to speak about automation of the highest, fifth level.

We want to make Volkswagen Autonomy the global company in which we will be able to integrate experience in automotive industry and development of technologies. We will use joint practices of group to reduce the cost of unmanned vehicles — Hittsinger said.

Volkswagen she intends to implement technologies of pilotless management first of all in commercial transport, including the taxi and cargo vans.

Creation of the pilotless versions of the minibus ID Buzz intended for transportation of goods and passengers will become the first project of the new company. This project is going to be developed together with division of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles.

We are going to begin commercialization of autonomous driving in big scales approximately in the middle of the next decade — Alexander Hittsinger told.

According to him, Volkswagen Autonomy will work on creation of "the certified product" and "fully industrially developed and checked system of pilotless driving" which will meet requirements of regulators.^[1]

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