The Volkswagen Group has recently announced that they will be acquiring a major 75.1 percent stake in vehicle telematics specialist “WirelessCar” from Volvo.
Swedish vehicle telematics specialist WirelessCar were founded in 1999 and have been a wholly-owned subsidiary by Volvo since 2007. Acknowledged as a leading specialist in vehicle connectivity, WirelessCar employs a strong workforce of approximately 370 IT experts worldwide. Since their inception, WirelessCar have utilized their own technology platform to develops digital services, including concierge and billing services as well as safety and emergency services. An estimated 3.5 million vehicles from various manufacturers around the world are currently connected via WirelessCar’s platform.
According to Volkswagen, they intend to utilize WirelessCar’s connectivity technology to “drive the development of the digital ecosystem.” With Volkswagen currently developing a cloud-based platform together with Microsoft, the German automaker aims to provide full connectivity in future vehicle generations as well services that customers can take advantage of with further help from WirelessCar. With the vehicle telematics specialist’s technology, Volkswagen will be able to enable safe and stable data exchange between the vehicle’s operating system and the cloud-based platform they are currently developing.
Christoph Hartung, Head of Digital & New Business / Mobility Services at the Volkswagen brand, stated:
“Our aim is to develop the Volkswagen into a mobility provider with a fully-connected fleet. Our customers will be able to use digital value-added services in their cars or on their mobile devices at all times. We are switching up a gear with this development and have gained WirelessCar as the third major partner. We are now really stepping on the gas and focusing on integrating the technologies.”
Martin Rosell, CEO of WirelessCar, added:
“Volkswagen is our ideal partner for the next stage in our development. Volkswagen has the most ambitious future strategy for connectivity in the automotive industry. This aspiration is the perfect match for our vision to lead the automotive industry into the digital society. We are highly motivated and willing to play our part to make a difference.”
Source: Volkswagen
