Technology in the new Touareg – Part 6: Always on – In the digital fast lane with the eSIM

• Online updates keep navigation data current

• Web radio and online-services available without smartphone

• Smart online route calculation gets you there faster.

• 3Dcitymodelssimplifyorientationwithinlargecities.

Wolfsburg – The new Touareg is “always on”. This is due to the factory- installed eSIM (fixed SIM card) built into the luxury #suv. It changes everything. The Touareg calls up the traffic situation online; Internet radio stations provide news, podcasts and music; navigation maps are updated online; buildings are displayed in 3D in the digital cockpit, providing a completely new navigation experience; and all passengers can go online via Wi-Fi hotspot.

One of the interfaces in this networked world is the #volkswagen Car-Net service package ‘Guide & Inform Premium’. With the standard infotainment system ‘Discover Pro’ (9-2-inch display) or the optional ‘Innovision Cockpit’ (digital instrument panel in 12-inch format plus 15-inch infotainment system ‘Discover Premium’), the #suv is automatically prepared for the use of mobile online services. The Touareg comes with a premium version of ‘Guide & Inform’ with exclusive new functions, such as hybrid radio, where terrestrial radio (analogue and digital) merges with web radio. As a result, reception is realised in the best possible quality regardless of the transmission route. Text information and images for the song currently playing can also be called up online even when listening to analogue FM stations. And that’s not all. You can listen to your favourite station discovered during a recent holiday or in general any foreign station and any podcast in highest quality using the web radio function. Gracenote gives you online access to album cover art.

Volkswagen has also taken the navigation system to a new level. For the first time, detailed 3D city views can be accessed and displayed. This makes orientation within a city significantly easier. Together with the 3D city models, the traditional map view as well as a satellite map continue to be available. Travelling in the Touareg is especially relaxing thanks to the new ‘Online Route Calculation’, which on one hand integrates the latest traffic data from the Internet into the navigation, and on the other, calculates the perfect route by using predictive models (including the integration of route profiles, topography and recurring traffic situations such as rush hour), thereby providing stress-free and fast guidance to a destination

Moreover, ‘Guide & Inform’ perfects the navigation experience by using services such as ‘Online POI search’ (also available with voice input), ‘Online destination and route import’, ‘Online map update’ and online information about filling stations (location and fuel prices) and car parks (location, prices and availability). Data costs for most services of ‘Guide & Inform Premium’ are covered by #volkswagen. The infotainment system can be used to directly book data packages for the use of features such as web radio, hybrid radio and a Wi-Fi hotspot. These are provided by the #volkswagen mobile phone partner Cubic Telekom – an innovative start-up from Dublin.

Along with ‘Guide & Inform Premium’, the Touareg also includes the ‘Security & Service’ package. This allows a smartphone to control functions such as ‘Online auxiliary heater’ and ‘Lock & unlock’. The ‘Parking position’, a ‘Vehicle health report’ or ‘Journey data’ (fuel consumption, range etc.) can also be accessed using a smartphone. Extra safety is offered by ‘Breakdown call’, ‘Automatic accident notification’ and ‘Emergency call service’. The #volkswagen SUV’s deeply networked integration establishes it as the champion of a new generation of car – one that constantly exploits the advantages of the World Wide Web in order to make travel more comfortable and safe.