Photo: Volkswagen
Autonomous driving is a hot topic in the auto market today, and a number of companies have already shared plans to get in on the action.
Volkswagen has plans to develop its own autonomous driving software in-house, rather than working with a third-party company, as reported by Auto News Europe. The news comes from an executive at the company’s luxury brand, Audi, who shared the information with reporters on Tuesday.
Tesla can build a giant factory producing autonomous electric vehicles with 4680 cells faster than Volkswagen can install a software update on their EV fleet.
no joke. @elonmusk
— Whole Mars Catalog (@WholeMarsBlog) February 1, 2021
Markus Duesmann, Audi head and Volkswagen board member, says the company isn’t necessarily opposed to outside collaboration, despite wanting to develop the technology themselves.
Duesmann said, “We’ll make the bulk of the software on our own in the future.” He added, “We accept the challenge.”
Compared to Alphabet’s Google, Duesmann hopes that Volkswagen can, at least, create a self-driving product that’s on the same level with regards to software development. Thus far, Volkswagen is electing to continue the path alone, being the world’s second-biggest vehicle manufacturer.
Volkswagen recently welcomed Apple into the electric vehicle (EV) world, who reportedly also plans to release its own autonomous driving down the line, along with an Apple Car developed by Kia.
Regardless, Volkswagen’s choice to design its own autonomous driving system will likely pay off in the end, assuming the company can, in fact, develop something on par with the rest of the market. But for now, Tesla’s Autopilot and Full Self-Driving appears to be miles ahead of the competition.
