Volkswagen CEO says fixes coming for infotainment, contact management points

The brand new boss of the Volkswagen model has already signed the dying warrant for its controversial steering switchgear, and now he’s addressing another tech grievances.

Thomas Schäfer, who turned the model’s CEO in July, says he’s working to resolve points with Volkswagen’s infotainment methods and touch-capacitive switchgear.

“On this rush to create these automobiles to be fast off the mark and so forth, the crew had give you totally different concepts,” he advised CAR.

“We all know what we have to do. We’ve received suggestions from prospects, we’ve suggestions from clinics and from journalists… They are saying, ‘You understand this isn’t good. You’ve received to enhance this.’”

The contact slider for the local weather controls on fashions just like the Volkswagen Golf and ID.4, which perplexingly lacks illumination, can be mounted promptly.

“One of many criticisms was the slider capabilities weren’t illuminated, so that you didn’t know they have been there at evening time. That’s mounted now and it’s coming subsequent yr. They are going to be all illuminated,” stated Mr Schäfer

He acknowledged errors had been made with the corporate’s infotainment methods, with the latest-generation MIB3 system criticised for lag, bugs and useability points.

Software program updates can be rolled out as early as this yr, with {hardware} upgrades to be put in inside the subsequent 18 months.

“The brand new 3.0 software program is coming now… The {hardware} modifications will come via from early 2024. [Revised] steering wheels are from subsequent yr, the brand new Tiguan would be the begin,” stated Mr Schäfer.

He promised the brand new methods can be sooner, boast extra options, and have extra frequent over-the-air updates accessible.

Mr Schäfer revealed the issues with the model’s infotainment have been so unhealthy the board has been assembly month-to-month to observe progress.

“The [technical] crew places collectively mock-ups and we sit down and check out them. We will say: ‘This doesn’t actually work. Who the hell did this? Subsequent!’ If you happen to don’t do this, you may take the incorrect choices,” stated Mr Schäfer.

The corporate is doing common clinics with random folks unaffiliated with Volkswagen to find out how folks discover capabilities

“Initially they will need to have clear pointers and clear logic behind it. After which as soon as the crew has it inside these boundaries, you may velocity up the method and never all the time attempt to reinvent the wheel and put the hazard gentle swap within the center, then on the highest after which elsewhere… It’s really fairly easy,” he stated.

“If you happen to hear rigorously you discover out what it is best to and shouldn’t do.

“We are saying ‘What are the highest 10 capabilities that prospects all the time want?’ We put them on the primary degree in arduous buttons. Then on the following 20 capabilities, the place will we put them? We put some logic into it. After which preserve it the bloody similar. Don’t change it round!”

He conceded the model has, over the previous few years, created confusion in its automobiles by shifting important switchgear round and being inconsistent throughout fashions.

Volkswagen isn’t the one model to maneuver away from touch-capacitive switchgear.

Common Motors and Ford embraced touch-capacitive switchgear within the early/mid-2010s however started to part it out after receiving criticism from house owners.

Ford’s luxurious model Lincoln started introducing touch-capacitive controls for capabilities like local weather management in 2011, however by 2013 it introduced it was returning to buttons for these capabilities.