Volkswagen Partners with Mobileye to Bring Partially Autonomous Driving to Its Vehicles

Volkswagen has taken a significant step towards advancing automotive technology by announcing a new partnership with Mobileye, an Israeli technology company. The collaboration will equip Volkswagen’s future vehicles with Mobileye’s advanced systems, offering Level 2+ autonomous driving capabilities. This move signals a major development in the evolution of self-driving cars, and here’s a closer look at what it means for the future of driving.

Volkswagen’s Road to Transformation

Volkswagen’s strategic alliance with Mobileye will integrate the latter’s innovative technology into the German automaker’s upcoming vehicles. This partnership is expected to bring partially autonomous driving to millions of Volkswagen cars in the years ahead. The combination of hardware and software will allow Volkswagen to enhance its performance program by improving technology, reducing complexity, and maintaining cost efficiency. This initiative is a crucial part of Volkswagen’s broader plan to transform its vehicle lineup.

Dirk Große-Loheide, Member of the Board of Management of Volkswagen Brand, emphasized that this collaboration is central to their transformation. By sourcing both hardware and software together, Volkswagen aims to streamline its procurement process, making it more efficient while ensuring the final products remain high-quality and cost-effective for customers.

What Does Level 2+ Autonomy Mean for Volkswagen Vehicles?

Mobileye’s technology will enable Volkswagen cars to feature Level 2+ autonomous driving. But what exactly does Level 2+ entail? The driving automation scale ranges from Level 1 (basic driver assistance) to Level 5 (full autonomy). Level 2+ represents an enhanced version of partial automation.

Under these capabilities, Volkswagen cars will be able to drive autonomously on highways under specific conditions. This means that the car can take over driving tasks, such as steering, accelerating, and braking, in certain situations. The system will also include a suite of advanced features, such as:

Traffic Jam Assistance: Helping drivers navigate through slow-moving traffic.
Hazard Detection: Identifying and alerting drivers about potential hazards on the road.
Parking Assistance: Making parking easier by providing autonomous features.
Driver Monitoring: Ensuring that drivers remain engaged and ready to take control if needed.
Future Upgrades: Volkswagen plans to incorporate augmented reality-based displays into the system for an even more intuitive driving experience.

The Integration of Cutting-Edge Technology

Volkswagen’s new system will combine Mobileye’s EyeQ6 platform with Valeo’s advanced cameras and sensors. This collaboration marks a major milestone as it’s the first time these components will be integrated into a single system. The companies claim that this integration will result in improved performance and enhanced efficiency, making it possible for the system to deliver higher safety and comfort levels.

Mobileye’s CEO, Prof. Amnon Shashua, expressed enthusiasm about this collaboration, highlighting how the software and hardware integration will bring artificial intelligence innovations into the real world. The goal is to create a new class of driving technology that is not only cost-effective but also improves safety, comfort, and driver assistance capabilities.

What Undercode Says:

This partnership represents an important leap in Volkswagen’s efforts to integrate advanced technology into its vehicles, while also signaling broader trends in the automotive industry. Mobileye’s expertise in autonomous driving technology, combined with Volkswagen’s extensive manufacturing capabilities, sets the stage for a new era of driving automation.

Level 2+ autonomy could significantly improve the driving experience for everyday consumers by allowing for safer and more efficient highway driving. For drivers, this means they can rely on the vehicle to handle tasks such as lane-keeping, acceleration, and braking under certain conditions, which could reduce stress and fatigue, especially in traffic-heavy situations.

The collaboration with Valeo, a leader in sensor technology, is also noteworthy. Valeo’s cutting-edge sensors combined with Mobileye’s platform promise to enhance both the functionality and performance of these systems. Such integration has the potential to pave the way for future advancements in driving technology, as the automotive industry continues to inch closer to fully autonomous vehicles.

However, it’s crucial to remember that Level 2+ autonomy is still far from full self-driving. Drivers will need to remain alert and engaged, as the system is designed to assist rather than replace human control. While the system’s capabilities are impressive, it’s clear that we’re still a long way from a fully autonomous driving experience.

From a market perspective, Volkswagen’s decision to partner with Mobileye and Valeo reflects a growing demand for enhanced driving assistance features, which consumers are increasingly expecting in modern vehicles. As more manufacturers incorporate such technologies, it is likely that autonomous driving capabilities will become a standard feature across many car models in the near future.

It’s also worth noting the growing role of artificial intelligence (AI) in the automotive industry. By incorporating AI-powered systems, Volkswagen and Mobileye are tapping into a technology that has the potential to revolutionize not just driving but the entire experience of car ownership.

Fact Checker Results

Integration of Technologies: The partnership between Mobileye, Volkswagen, and Valeo has been confirmed and will indeed result in the creation of a Level 2+ autonomous driving system.
Level 2+ Capabilities: The system will enable autonomous driving on highways with features like traffic jam assistance, parking assistance, and hazard detection, all of which are realistic features for this level of autonomy.
AI and Cost-Efficiency: AI integration for improved safety and performance in driving assistance systems is a key factor in the collaboration.