Looking ahead: Future Audi will be able to download iPhone-like apps

Audi’s marketing and sales top executive, Peter Schwarzenbauer, recently disclosed that their future vehicles will have computer like dashboards and will be able to download apps similar to those used by the iPhone.

Audi also disclosed that the future vehicles will allow owners to upgrade the specifications of their cars even after leaving the assembly lines of their plants.

As the carmaker gears to make their units “learning machines”, Audi will introduce this year cars that will have wireless access to the internet. The future Audis will basically be able to make use of predictive behavior and real-time information.

Schwarzenbauer disclosed that their vehicles before the end of the decade will be able to remember that their drivers take certain journeys on particular days and will be able to set the navigation system to fit the needs for the day. The cars will also be able to check traffic information that will give a heads up to the driver before he starts his journey.

Audi is also working on a new concept for their switchgear and dashboard design to adapt to the downloadable software technology that will be incorporated in the near future.

Even heated seats can be “downloaded” according to Audi. This means that all of the hardware will be already installed in the car but will only be activated once the owner downloads the necessary software to make it live. The heated seats then can be manipulated via a touchpad similar to the one installed for the new Audi A8. Other software downloadables may include sat-nav upgrades, hi-fi tweaks, and chassis controls.

Pre-installation of the hardware will also make the production setup of Audi more flexible. At the moment, Audi takes 12 weeks to produce a car to meet the specs of an order. In the near future, Audi will be able to build their stock of vehicles and the dealers will be able to tweak the needed specifications using the software downloaded via their system.

Source: Autocar