Volkswagen's UK dealer network has retrofitted five vehicles with App-Connect capability for London's Air Ambulance service.
The work, which was carried out free of charge, was done in such a way that kept the fleet of vehicles off the road for as little time as possible. The work took just 30 minutes at local Volkswagen dealerships.
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London Air Ambulance service's five Volkswagen Tiguan responder vehicles where fitted with the App-Connect facility which allows an Apple or Android smartphone to be connected to the vehicle and compatible apps to appear on the infotainment display via Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, meaning that responders can make use of the latest mapping apps and traffic data on their smartphone to help them get to emergencies much quicker.
The cars are all based in separate areas of the capital and were taken to their nearest dealership for the work to be done – Motorline Volkswagen Coulsdon, Lookers Volkswagen Battersea, Citygate Volkswagen Twickenham, Alan Day Volkswagen New Southgate, and Marshall Volkswagen Loughton.
"This technical support from Volkswagen will make a real difference, helping our brilliant volunteers to lead an effective and professional emergency response," said Chris Hartley-Sharpe, head of volunteer responders at London Ambulance Service.
"The response team would not exist without generous donations of resources and equipment like those from Volkswagen, and generous donations of time and expertise from our volunteers. It is a fantastic example of people from all walks of life coming together to help their fellow Londoners in times of need."
Andrew Savvas, Volkswagen UK managing director, added: "Being just a phone call away and available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, it’s easy to forget that ambulances and emergency responder vehicles need regular maintenance, and never has the need been greater for these vehicles to be in peak condition and ready to act as quickly as possible as in recent times. We were very happy to help the heroes of the London Ambulance Service with these upgrades."
Gallery: London Air Ambulance Volkswagen Tiguan
