Volkswagen, Aeris form JV for connected vehicle technology

Volkswagen has partnered with San Jose, California-based IoT (Internet of Things) solutions provider, Aeris Communication, to form a joint venture Ventic for the development and operations of VW’s connected vehicle platform technologies.

Volkswagen Group of America, a subsidiary of the German carmaker, will own 51% of the new venture. Aeris will focus on VW brand vehicles in North America, starting with the launch of the next generation Car-Net in most MY20 vehicles (cars which are manufactured in the fourth quarter of 2019, or in 2020). 

Ventic will offer a customisable approach to the automobile giants’ specific requirements. This gives Volkswagen the ability to manage the connected car programme on a single platform. The technology will help the company deploy solutions that differ based on region or vehicle model, the company said in a statement.

The new venture will provide service flexibility and speed, operational efficiency and customer experience. The microservices-based platform architecture will help customers deploy new services faster, similar to the development of a smartphone application. 

“Our connectivity platform expands beyond remote services and vehicle safety and security. This platform has inherent flexibility which enables new business models through third-party integration and is foundational for V2X communications. Furthermore, this platform will serve our customers with delightful and useful functions, as well as being a gateway to other digital ecosystems.” Abdallah Shanti, Global CIO, Volkswagen Brand, and member of the board, Ventic said.

Separately, The IoT company has also introduced Aeris Mobility Suite, which it says is designed to help automotive OEMs ( original equipment manufacturers) deploy connected vehicle programmes with more efficiency. 

Aeris has previously Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer Mitsubishi Motors for its connected vehicles programme. 

The global connected car market size is projected to reach $ 212.7 billion by 2027, from an estimated value of $ 42.6 billion in 2019, at a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 22.3%, according to the research firm Markets and Markets.

Automobile maker Hyundai Motor India is gearing up to launch its connected car solution in partnership with cloud firm AWS (Amazon Web Services), telco Vodafone Idea, conversational intelligence company SoundHound, and mapping services player Here Technologies.