BEAVERTON, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC), an organization driving global technologies for smartphone-centric car connectivity solutions, today announced that the all-new Volkswagen Lamando is MirrorLink®-enabled. Now standard on more of today’s most popular vehicles and smartphones, MirrorLink is the most ingenious way to bring smartphone content to the dash. Huge icons make apps easy to use and smart technology knows if the car is in Park or Drive. The MirrorLink-enabled Lamando is on sale in China now.
“MirrorLink is a natural fit for Volkswagen’s commitment to supporting a new age of mobility,” said Soenke Detlefsen, Head of Electric/Electronic Development from Volkswagen China. “Now that mass-market MirrorLink-enabled handsets are available to consumers, Volkswagen is thrilled to deliver vehicles to support them right off the assembly line.”
MirrorLink is the leading industry standard for car-smartphone connectivity and is designed for maximum interoperability between a wide range of smartphones and cars. MirrorLink is also the only OS- and OEM-agnostic standard for car-smartphone connectivity and the only vendor-neutral standard where no single entity has a controlling stake. MirrorLink thus offers the quickest global route to more responsible and enjoyable connected driving.
“China’s Lamando drivers aren’t the only ones to benefit from this milestone MirrorLink deployment,” said Alan Ewing, President and Executive Director of the CCC. “China’s smartphone OEMs and app developers can view this as a sign that MirrorLink has won the car-connectivity race and can feel free to develop products accordingly.”
About Volkswagen Group China
Volkswagen Group is one of the earliest and most successful international partners of China’s automobile industry. The Group has grown together with China’s auto industry, overcoming many challenges and achieving significant growths, during the 30 years’ partnership with China.
As early as 1978, Volkswagen Group started contacts with China. The first Santana was produced in Shanghai in April 1983. In October 1984, Shanghai Volkswagen Corporation Ltd, the first joint venture of Volkswagen Group in China, laid foundation in Shanghai. In February 1991, FAW-Volkswagen Corporation Ltd was established in Changchun, creating Volkswagen Group’s second joint venture in China.
The business scope of Volkswagen Group in China includes the production, sales and services of complete vehicles and parts, such as engines and transmissions. All of the Group auto brands — including Volkswagen, Audi, ŠKODA, SEAT, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Porsche, Ducati, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, Scania and MAN — have a business presence in China through Volkswagen Group China and its subsidiaries.
Since entering the Chinese market, Volkswagen Group has taken the leading market position in China. In 2014, together with its two joint ventures – Shanghai Volkswagen and FAW-Volkswagen, Volkswagen Group China delivered 3.68 million vehicles to customers in the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong, achieving a 20.5% share of China’s passenger vehicle market.
Innovation and efficiency are the keys to a sustainable lifestyle. With the efficiency strategy, Volkswagen Group China is committed to becoming the most sustainable automaker in China. In order to adapt to the fast development of China’s automobile market, Volkswagen Group will invest EUR 22 billion in China from 2015 to 2019, among which two thirds of this figure will be spent on projects relating to sustainable development, such as developing more efficient products and powertrain technologies, as well as achieving more environment-friendly production.
Volkswagen Group China has established plants in Shanghai, Changchun, Dalian, Nanjing, Yizheng, Chengdu, Foshan, Ningbo, Urumqi and Tianjin. And we are also on the way to build new plants in Changsha and Qingdao. Volkswagen Group China has more than 90,000 employees in China, including those of joint ventures. At over 2,000 authorized dealerships across the country, more than 360,000 dealer staff provides professional services to thousands of customers every day.
As the most reliable partner of China, Volkswagen not only provides high-quality products and reliable services to Chinese customers, but also spares no effort in carrying out its corporate social responsibilities. In November 2014, Volkswagen Group China announced to fund 50 million RMB to charity in China. The funding further supports raising awareness for child safety, reconstruction efforts, junior football and education.
Children are the future in every society around the world, and for this reason Volkswagen Group is deeply involved in creating future opportunities for China's next generation. Beginning in April 2014, Volkswagen Group began rolling out a series of child safety awareness programs and road shows to promote children’s road safety in 17 cities.
By continuing to bring the most advanced and environmentally sound technologies and products to China, as well as providing professional services for an even higher customer satisfaction, Volkswagen Group is driving toward a sustainable future with China’s automobile industry.
About the Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC)
The CCC is dedicated to cross-industry collaboration in developing MirrorLink® global standards and solutions for smartphone and in-vehicle connectivity. The organization’s more than 100 members represent more than 80 percent of the world’s auto market, more than 70 percent of the global smartphone market and a who’s who of aftermarket consumer electronics vendors. For further information, please visit www.mirrorlink.com.