2007 LA Auto Show: VW's Future Touchscreen Technology

The iPhone has been a runaway success and after a brief demonstration of this new control interface, it certainly seems like Volkswagen has a brilliant new solution to the evolving world of in-car electronics. Like an iPhone, the user just lightly slides his finger over the main menu carousel, which features all secondary vehicle controls including audio, video, climate, navigation, and telephone (which taps into your cell's phonebook). Like Audi's MMI, there is also a secondary LCD screen integrated into the instrument panel. This setup satisfies the Space Up! Blue designers' wish to eliminate clutter inside the compact car's cabin.

The main touchscreen also includes sensors that bring up relevant "buttons" and menu functions once the driver or passenger comes within about an inch of the screen. The sensors can also determine which front occupant is approaching the screen, which comes in handy with the dual-zone climate control. If the driver moves his hand toward the screen, his temperature control comes up and vice versa for the passenger.

Volkswagen is seriously planning on implementing this type of touchscreen control into their future vehicles. Hofmann speculated that it could show up in the next generation of VW's core vehicles like the Jetta, Passat and Golf/Rabbit. This seems possible considering that VW has committed to installing touchscreens (rather than an MMI-like system) into their cars starting with the new Tiguan. According to VW's electronic development director Axel Heinrich, each VW model will soon be available with two different touchscreen navigation systems -- a flash-based lower-end one with fewer functions and a high-end hard-drive-based unit that includes digital music file storage.

After a few years of trailing in the in-car electronics department, it seems like VW is poised to catch up and eventually make waves. -- James Riswick, Associate Editor