PALO ALTO, Calif., Sept. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Volkswagen of America, Inc. announced that its Electronic Research Laboratory (ERL) will work with Intel to develop open standards for connecting mobile electronics devices to vehicles. The prototype currently under development will feature Ultra Mobile PC integration, providing a consumer with "on the go" connectivity to a variety of digital media. This vehicle will showcase the consumer benefit of mobile connectivity, and serve as a unified industry call for the promotion of open standards.
"We're delighted to be working with Intel, as they share our vision of the potential of open standards," said Parag Jain, Senior Project Engineer at the ERL. "The consumer will benefit when their vehicle allows for mobile connectivity across a variety of media platforms."
"It was a great experience working with Intel in the past on 'Stanley,' the robotic Volkswagen Touareg that won the DARPA Grand Challenge," said Carsten Bergmann, head of Connectivity & Computing at the ERL. "We look forward to working with them on standardization efforts for mobile connectivity."
About the Electronics Research Laboratory:
The Volkswagen of America, Inc. Electronics Research Laboratory (ERL) focuses on providing customers with smarter cars, sooner. It aims to identify new technologies and accelerate their development into future production vehicles. Located in Palo Alto, California, the ERL is an in-house think tank representing the Volkswagen Group in North America. Its presence in the heart of the Silicon Valley allows the Volkswagen Group to work directly with the world's leading high-tech companies, start-ups, and universities. These partnerships allow the ERL to design and develop innovative features and applications, which are then integrated with Group vehicles for evaluation and testing. For additional information please see http://www.vwerl.com
About Volkswagen of America, Inc.:
Founded in 1955, Volkswagen of America, Inc. is headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG, headquartered in Wolfsburg, Germany. Volkswagen is one of the world's largest producers of passenger cars and Europe's largest automaker. Volkswagen sells the Rabbit, New Beetle, Jetta, GTI, Passat, Touareg, and Eos through more than 600 independent U.S. dealers.