VW and LG partner to turn cars into another smart home appliance

Volkswagen and LG are to jointly research and develop a next generation of connected car. The end goal of the partnership is to create an ecosystem where the car communicates with homes and drivers' internet-connected household appliances.

The race to build connected cars began several years ago and now includes almost all mainstream carmakers, who are each partnering up with the technology industry and make vehicles as connected to the internet as our smartphones. Everyone from Ford and Vauxhall to Tesla and BMW offer forms of connectivity.

Announced on 6 July, the Volkswagen and LG partnership will see future vehicles use cloud technology to give drivers access to other connected devices while they are away from the home.

VW said the first target for itself and LG will be: "Developing technologies that bring together the connected car and the smart home so that drivers are able to control and monitor smart devices in their homes - such as lights, security systems and domestic appliances - from out on the road."

The second goal of LG and VW is to develop a "context-sensitive notification centre that can deliver messages in an intuitive and safe manner and provide optimised recommendations to the driver in real time." Along this, the companies will work to create the next generation of infotainment technology for connected cars.

Thomas Form, head of electronics and vehicle research at Volkswagen, said his company is "pressing on with the digitalisation" of its brands. These brands, which are all tipped to benefit from the LG partnership, include Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Porsche, Seat, Skoda and Volkswagen.

While VW is looking to rebuild public trust following the multi-billion-dollar 'Dieselgate' emissions cheating scandal which rocked the car industry, LG has played a part in the car development business since 2007. The South Korean company also produces a range of connected home appliances, such as internet-connected fridges, smartphone-controlled washing machines and even smart clothes dryers.