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VW previews huge screens, gesture control with Golf R Touch Concept at CES

Volkswagen is showing off the future of infotainment and connected driving at CES 2015 with a fleet of concepts that highlight its latest technology. According to its displays, the coming years might mean gesture-based vehicle controls and electric cars that drive themselves to find their own charging locations. VW's biggest debut at CES is its next-gen infotainment system, dubbed MIB II. The setup supports a wide array of smartphone integration standards, including MirrorLink, Apple CarPlay and Google Android Auto, to make sure that practically every smartphone user can pair the device's interface with the vehicle. Beyond just keeping occupants entertained, MIB II offers a system called Regular Routes that detects traffic along the driver's regular commute to work and suggests alternatives. The Parking Guide also helps find parking spots that are likely open. If MIB II represents the near future of VW infotainment, then the technology on the Golf R Touch Concept is the next step from there. It takes the brand's hot hatch and adds support for gesture controls inside, plus a trio of massive infotainment screens. This R features a 12.8-inch central infotainment screen, an 8-inch screen below it for things like the climate control and switching media and a customizable 12.3-inch display that digitizes the instrument panel. A camera in front of the central display waits for the driver's hands to make specific movements that activate various vehicle functions. Despite all of the potentially distracting screens, VW says the system offers control without requiring a look away from the road. VW hopes the technology reduces driver distraction and creates a closer relationship with the car. Another of the German automaker's big tech showcases is an e-Golf that demonstrates the potential future of both electric and semi-autonomous driving. This version can be charged inductively, rather than through a traditional power cord, and the exterior lights show when the vehicle is fully recharged. It's also equipped with the e-Station Guide that helps drivers find a charging location and tells them about the payment options there. This e-Golf's other major innovation is VW's Trained Parking system. A camera at the front scans the route to a parking space, and if the driver returns later, then the process can be done semi-automatically.

VW planning 20 new plug-in models for China

With just about everything getting super-sized for China, Volkswagen is following suit with its plug-in vehicle plans for the world's most populous country. VW, Europe's largest carmaker, is looking to sell more than 20 different plug-in models in China within the next four years, Reuters says, citing comments Volkswagen Group China head Jochem Heizmann made in Shanghai. The company is hoping that translates to sales of more than 100,000 plug-ins in China by the end of the decade. Go big or go home, right? There's a huge plug-in vehicle opportunity in China, especially given the bad pollution situation in cities like Beijing and Shanghai and the Chinese government's incentives for plug-in vehicle buyers. Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn said at the Beijing Motor Show this spring that the company would spend $25 billion on at least a half-dozen plug-in models for China by 2018. VW will start selling the e-Golf in China this year and the Golf GTE plug-in hybrid in 2015. VW said in August that it would start selling the e-Golf in the US for about $35,500 in November. That's a $6,500 price hike from the base Nissan Leaf.

Volkswagen's latest ad is not subtle | Autoblog Podcast #509

On this week's podcast, Mike Austin and David Gluckman are joined by special guest James Riswick, who has been driving a lot of new cars lately. All of them are discussed, plus a few more from Mike and David, and Mike rants a bit about a new VW Atlas commercial. The episode wraps up with the traditional doling out of Spend My Money buying advice, during which David briefly goes out into left field. (He's back now, don't worry.) The rundown is below. Remember, if you have a car-related question you'd like us to answer or you want buying advice of your very own, send a message or a voice memo to podcast at autoblog dot com. (If you record audio of a question with your phone and get it to us, you could hear your very own voice on the podcast. Neat, right?) And if you have other questions or comments, please send those too. Autoblog Podcast #509 Topics and stories we mention GMC Sierra HD Mazda MX-5 Miata RF Mazda CX-5 Honda CR-V vs. Mazda CX-5 Mini Countryman Honda Clarity Fuel Cell Ford F-150 Raptor Lexus RC 200t VW Atlas "Luv Bug" commercial Used cars! Rundown Intro - 00:00 What we're driving - 02:43 Ad of the week - 41:40 Spend My Money - 49:14 Total Duration: 56:27 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Feedback Email – Podcast at Autoblog dot com Review the show on iTunes Marketing/Advertising Podcasts Ford GMC Honda Lexus Mazda MINI Volkswagen mazda cx-5 ford f-150 raptor gmc sierra hd volkswagen atlas mazda mx-5 rf lexus rc 200t