Volkswagen has launched its We Connect Go “connected car” app to South Africans who own the company’s vehicles. Cars manufactured from 2008 support the technology.

The app, which is available for both Android and iPhone, forms part of the “Volkswagen We” ecosystem that offers a range of vehicle-related digital services and mobility offerings which can be used in-car or via smartphones, the automobile manufacturer said in a statement on Tuesday.

Features of the new app include:

  • MyVolkswagen, which displays the most important vehicle information, including fuel level, mileage and battery voltage;
  • Service appointments, which allows customers to send appointment requests to their preferred Volkswagen dealer;
  • 24-hour roadside assistance;
  • Trip monitor – a digital logbook, which can be exported as a PDF and used for South African Revenue Service vehicle claims; and
  • Driving challenges — points awarded for safe and efficient driving.

The We Connect Go app works with the company’s “data plug”, which is connected to the vehicle’s on-board diagnostics system. This device reads data relating to the vehicle and sends it to the owner’s smartphone via Bluetooth.

“Data plugs will be offered as standard on Volkswagen models from the Polo Comfortline and above from July 2020. Data plugs will be available as optional items for older Volkswagen models dating back as far as 2008 but excluding the previous-generation Polo Vivo,” the car maker said.

The WeConnect Go and data plug roll-out commenced with T-Cross customers and is now being extended to the entire Volkswagen range, it added. Volkswagen customers can get the data plugs fitted to their vehicles by their dealer. – © 2020 NewsCentral Media

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