The “biggest change process in Volkswagen's history” has started during the company’s special event in the night before the 2017 Geneva Motor Show official kicks off. The German automaker is presenting the first concept car from the so-called 'TOGETHER – Strategy 2025': meet the fully autonomous Sedric study.

Volkswagen is dead serious about its plans to become "a globally leading provider of sustainable mobility”. The Sedric concept features the highest level of autonomy, Level 5, and has been developed and built at the Volkswagen Group Future Centre in Potsdam in collaboration with Volkswagen Group Research in Wolfsburg.

A completely self-driving machine, the vehicle is able to collect its passengers by a single touch of a button. It’s an “all-electric, 100 percent connected and fully autonomous” car that can independently perform all driving tasks without any need from the driver. Indeed, a human will never actually be allowed to take control over the vehicle, as it has no steering wheel, pedals, or cockpit.

VW Sedric Concept
VW Sedric Concept
VW Sedric Concept

But the Sedric is more than just a vehicle, according to Volkswagen. It’s designed as a fellow traveller, with whom you can apparently discuss the destination, how to get there, the driving time, and the current traffic situation. Simply said, you can talk to Sedric like you would “with a personal assistant”.

All the information for the trip is presented to the passengers through a big OLED screen with augmented reality, which replaces the windshield. It serves as an infotainment centre, but “passengers can also close their eyes, sit back and relax”.


During the introduction of the car, Volkswagen restated its ambition to launch no fewer than 30 purely electric cars by 2025 and will invest “several billion euros” in developing autonomous technologies. In support of its strategy, specialists from a total of 37 competence centres and digital labs all over the world will work on solutions for “tomorrow's digital world”.

Source: Volkswagen

 

Gallery: VW Sedric Concept

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Geneva International Motor Show: Volkswagen Group brings the future to the present

  • Group brands introducing some 60 new vehicles to customers worldwide in 2017
  • 37 competence centers and digital labs are developing solutions for the digital world
  • Over 30 more purely battery-powered vehicles to be launched by 2025
  • Sedric – the first concept car from the Volkswagen Group – is a trailblazer and idea platform for autonomous driving
  • Matthias Müller, CEO of the Volkswagen Group: "The future of mobility is vibrant, colorful and fascinating. With Sedric we are looking far ahead: the study demonstrates how a new, integrated mobility system of the future could function."

The Volkswagen Group initiated the biggest transformation process in its history with "TOGETHER – Strategy 2025". The goal: Volkswagen is to become a globally leading provider of sustainable mobility. On the road to the future, the Company is holding fast to its traditional strengths in the classic mode of vehicle manufacturing, but is also defining new priorities. On the eve of the 87th Geneva International Motor Show, the Volkswagen Group presented a further concrete foretaste of how the Company intends to shape its path to tomorrow's world of mobility to some 500 guests. 

2016 was a demanding year for the Volkswagen Group, but a very successful one as well. In a year strongly marked by efforts to process the diesel crisis, and in spite of the headwind in important markets, the Volkswagen Group put up a strong performance in operating business, setting new records in unit sales, sales revenue and operating profit before special items.

"Over 10.3 million customers worldwide placed their trust in us last year. We are thankful for that. We see this trust in our brands and product as a mission to continue developing and building the best vehicles here and now. There will be no letting up in our present core business. But Volkswagen will work just as resolutely and passionately on the future of mobility", Matthias Müller said.

"TOGETHER – Strategy 2025" defines the path to the future

This year alone, Group brands will be introducing some 60 new vehicles to customers all over the world. "Notwithstanding all reforms and the pace we will be setting in the coming years, we will always strive to continue building on the strengths of our vehicles. Mobility, innovations, technology and safety for many will remain part of our DNA", Müller emphasized.

At the same time, the Volkswagen Group will continue to work intensively on the key topics of the future which are also set out in "TOGETHER – Strategy 2025". The strong push for e-mobility will continue unabated: more than 30 purely battery-powered vehicles will be launched by 2025. In addition to the new business field for mobility solutions, battery technology, autonomous driving and artificial intelligence will become new core competences at Volkswagen. To that end, a total of 37 competence centers and digital labs all over the world – from San Francisco to Berlin and Beijing – are developing solutions for tomorrow's digital world.

Sedric: Foretaste and promise for the longer-term future

Automated driving is an important core competence for the future and an area of intense activity. "Audi and Volkswagen have long been pioneers in autonomous driving. For us, that underpins our claim to play a proactive part in shaping the next evolutionary stages on the road to the self-driving car and to take these cars into production for our customers. We believe in the future of this technology and in its long-term revolutionary potential", Müller said. The CEO announced that the Group would be investing several billion euros in this core technology over the coming years, and was also recruiting top specialists as well as pooling its strengths in the Group.

With Sedric – the Group's first self-driving car – the Volkswagen Group is giving a concrete foretaste of Level 5 automated driving (the highest stage of automation) in Geneva. It only takes a single touch of the OneButton for the car to drive up to collect its passenger – all-electric, 100% connected and fully autonomous. Sedric independently performs all driving tasks; it is smart – and has no steering wheel, pedals or cockpit.

"We are convinced that fully-automated vehicles will make life in our cities better, more eco-friendly and above all safer. Sedric gives the first concrete foretaste of that today. Sedric is a trailblazer and idea platform for autonomous driving. Many elements and functions of this concept car will reappear in vehicles from our brands in the coming years", Müller commented.

Study stands for a new self-image of the Volkswagen Group

Sedric is, however, more than just a study, it is the first concept car from the Volkswagen Group. It was conceived, developed and built at the Volkswagen Group Future Center in Potsdam in collaboration with Volkswagen Group Research in Wolfsburg. Sedric demonstrates how a new integrated mobility system could function in future.

"To avoid any misunderstanding: the Volkswagen Group will not be building its own cars in the future, either. That is something our brands excel in. But our concept car stands for a new self-image and a new form of collaboration and know-how transfer in the Group", the CEO concluded.

Going forward, the Volkswagen Group will play a greater role as a catalyst and an incubator for ideas, looking far into the future and combining the creativity, competence and knowledge of the Group family and subsequently sharing this with the brands. As a result, innovations will be delivered to customers even faster.

The Volkswagen Group with its headquarters in Wolfsburg is one of the world's leading automobile manufacturers and the largest carmaker in Europe. The Group comprises twelve brands from seven European countries: Volkswagen Passenger Cars, Audi, SEAT, ŠKODA, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Porsche, Ducati, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, Scania and MAN. The Group operates 120 production plants in 20 European countries and a further 11 countries in the Americas, Asia and Africa. Every weekday, over 610,000 employees worldwide produce nearly 42,000 vehicles, and work in vehicle-related services or other fields of business. The Volkswagen Group sells its vehicles in 153 countries. With its "TOGETHER – Strategy 2025" future program, the Volkswagen Group is paving the way for the biggest change process in its history: the realignment to become a globally leading provider of sustainable mobility.