Volkswagen to bring infotainment system to U.S. this year
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ORLANDO -- Volkswagen will begin offering an infotainment system in the United States this year, the company’s U.S. marketing boss said today.
The system, named Car-Net, is similar to Ford Motor Co.’s Sync and MyFord Touch software, Tim Mahoney, chief marketing officer at Volkswagen of America, told Automotive News here during the National Automobile Dealers Association convention. It likely will be made available across the brand’s product line, but a final decision has not been made, he said.
The move will enable VW customers to equip their vehicles with features, such as roadside assistance, that many of its rivals have offered American drivers for years. It promises benefits but also risks, because adding the hardware and software to run these features has proved to be a challenge.
Ford has had to rework MyFord Touch several times since its 2010 debut to address complaints that the system’s touch screens were too complicated and that the software often failed to work promptly. Volkswagen says it hopes to learn from others’ mistakes.
“That’s the advantage of watching others go first,” Mahoney said.
Other Volkswagen AG brands, such as Audi, have introduced infotainment systems. The first VW-branded vehicle to get one was the seventh-generation Golf, which debuted in Europe in November and is scheduled to arrive in the United States in 2014.
You can reach Gabe Nelson at gnelson@crain.com.
