VW is turning to an unlikely company for influence on its car designs. Reuters has reported that a designer with the German carmaker says the company is looking for guidance from Apple products, suggesting that its new line of electric cars will take a note from the company that brought a “design aesthetic” that put it ahead of its rivals.
The effort from Volkswagen is said to be part of its approach to redefining the company, as it shakes off the stink of Dieselgate, when the company lost international credibility and paid billions in fines and rework. Reuters says a focus on sleek, simplistic vehicle design will signal a shift for VW, who used to use vehicle design to convey its larger ambitions as an innovator. Additionally, the tarnished reputation of clean diesel technology has encouraged VW to invest heavily in electric vehicles, autonomous tech, and digital mobility – to the tune of $44 billion by 2022.
Speaking of which, CNET says that all 2019 Volkswagen models will be adopting the WLANp wireless protocol which, in layman’s terms, means vehicles within a certain range of one another can share information regarding things like traffic and road conditions. It might also connect the cars with “smart traffic control devices” – like those lights that give you a green arrow when they sense you’re in a left turn lane – to help optimize traffic. The bad news? The vehicle-to-vehicle communication strategy starts in Europe. But the good news, says CNET, is that having one large carmaker adopt a standard like this makes it more likely others will follow suit, and quickly.