Volkswagen AG (VW) is a German automotive conglomerate with more than 120 factories in 30 countries worldwide, employing over 600,000 employees. The company produces products under 12 brands: Volkswagen, Audi, SEAT, Skoda, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Porsche, Scania, MAN, Navistar, and motorcycles under the Ducati brand.
As early as 2018, the German automotive conglomerate VW embarked on an ambitious project — a full transition to digital design of its vehicles.
In early 2023, the VW Group decided to hire approximately 2,800 additional IT specialists to develop advanced digital solutions.
During the digital transformation, VW not only incorporates technology but also reimagines approaches to performing routine operations.
The automotive conglomerate uses augmented reality (AR) to save time, reduce costs, and enhance efficiency at all stages of its product lifecycle, starting from the design evaluation of future vehicles. AR is also integrated into production, training, retraining, and post-sales service.
Today, we will focus on the use of AR for remote interaction with dealerships, which play a key role in creating a positive customer experience and, consequently, have a direct impact on new car sales.
As early as 2018, the German automotive conglomerate VW embarked on an ambitious project — a full transition to digital design of its vehicles.
In early 2023, the VW Group decided to hire approximately 2,800 additional IT specialists to develop advanced digital solutions.
During the digital transformation, VW not only incorporates technology but also reimagines approaches to performing routine operations.
The automotive conglomerate uses augmented reality (AR) to save time, reduce costs, and enhance efficiency at all stages of its product lifecycle, starting from the design evaluation of future vehicles. AR is also integrated into production, training, retraining, and post-sales service.
Today, we will focus on the use of AR for remote interaction with dealerships, which play a key role in creating a positive customer experience and, consequently, have a direct impact on new car sales.
AR in VW Commercial Vehicles Dealerships
By 2028, Volkswagen, in accordance with the Paris Climate Agreement, committed to producing over 22 million electric vehicles to achieve complete carbon neutrality by 2050.
For service center employees, this means that, in the near future, due to the introduction of new technologies, the complexity of working with vehicles will increase at an accelerated pace, and the need for rapid training of new and retraining of existing employees will become even more critical. However, one-time training, even of the highest quality, does not guarantee quick problem resolution. Operational support from factory experts ensures reliability and high-speed service.
To address the issue of constantly growing complexity in service maintenance and to provide technicians in VW Commercial Vehicles dealerships in the UK with real-time remote support, it was decided to implement augmented reality (AR) technologies.
For service center employees, this means that, in the near future, due to the introduction of new technologies, the complexity of working with vehicles will increase at an accelerated pace, and the need for rapid training of new and retraining of existing employees will become even more critical. However, one-time training, even of the highest quality, does not guarantee quick problem resolution. Operational support from factory experts ensures reliability and high-speed service.
To address the issue of constantly growing complexity in service maintenance and to provide technicians in VW Commercial Vehicles dealerships in the UK with real-time remote support, it was decided to implement augmented reality (AR) technologies.
Problem:
- The speed of repairing commercial vehicles is crucial, as the vehicle owner loses money due to missed opportunities while the vehicle is in the shop.
- Maintaining the competence level of service center employees consistently is challenging, partly due to high turnover in the industry and the introduction of more complex technologies, components, and assemblies.
Solution:
- 67 van centers and 30 authorized repair workshops for VW Commercial Vehicles across the UK gained the ability to connect with industrial-grade AR glasses directly to technical support experts, being right next to the vehicle, and to show complex cases requiring expert evaluation and solutions from a first-person perspective.
Effect:
- A 93% increase in repair efficiency.
- A reduction of 2.5 tons of carbon dioxide emissions by the Technical Support Center by eliminating the need for employees to travel to service centers.
- Increased customer satisfaction by reducing service time.
This is just one example of the application of AR within Volkswagen AG.