Volkswagen will Equip VW Vehicles with TouchSreen Systems in 2008

Plans for making all Volkswagen vehicles equipped with a functional touch screen is well on their way. The manufacturers of one of the world’s longest running car brands have been keeping pace with developing technology. In its effort to provide its users with convenience and functionality, all Volkswagen cars introduced after 2008 will be equipped with a touchscreen that will allow the driver or the passengers to regulate the HVAC system, operate the radio, aid in navigation and help in regulating other conditions inside the car.
The TouchScreen system to be incorporated into the 2008 VW car models and is said to follow in the footsteps of the Immersion TouchSense system that Volkswagen introduced in 2005. The Immersion TouchSense is described as a “system [that] transforms conventional, passive touchscreens into active displays that ‘come alive’ by making graphical buttons seem to press and release like physical buttons.” The Immersion Touchsense system is said to “aid in fast and accurate data entry and can provide a more intuitive, natural, and engaging experience for the user, reflecting a quality brand.”
A Volkswagen Space UP debuted as a concept car with a touchsreen at the Tokyo Auto Show, A smaller, three – door Space UP was introduced in the IAA in Frankfurt. Both cars were equipped with a 178 – mm Hitachi touch screen. There is, however, no news yet as to whether Hitachi was also the same company who supplied the system software.
The VW touchscreen has an interface similar to the Apple iPhone. The menu icons in the VW touchscreen can also be rotated in a carousel fashion. VW group CEO Martin Winterkorn is said to have met with Apple CEO Steven Jobs to collaborate with the latter’s company. But details regarding the meeting have not yet been revealed.
Despite keeping much of the information under wraps, VW’s group design chief Walter de’ Silva tells Automotive News Europe that, “Touch-screen is the most intuitive and easy to use man-machine interface. Simplicity is what we are trying to install, not only in design, but also in functionality of all new VW models to come.”
Sources: All VWs will get touch-screen systems , All VW models to get touch screens , VW to equip all vehicles with touch-screen control panels , Tactile Feedback for Touchscreens