Volkswagen and Aeris have formed a joint venture, Ventic LLC, to advance the development and operation of connected vehicle platform technologies. The joint venture is 51 percent owned by Volkswagen, and 49 percent owned by Aeris. The new company will focus on Volkswagen brand vehicles in North America, beginning with the launch of the next generation Car-Net in most of VW’s Model Year 20 vehicles.

Ventic will offer a highly customisable approach to Volkswagen’s specific requirements. This aims to give Volkswagen the ability to manage the connected car programme on a single platform, while preserving the ability to deploy solutions that differ based on region or vehicle model.

The benefits of the Ventic platform for Volkswagen include improved service flexibility and speed, operational efficiency, and customer experience.

Ventic provides a modern microservices-based platform architecture designed to enable fast and flexible introduction of new services which parallel the development of a new application on a compatible smartphone. The platform architecture also provides the ability to change rules, such as access, in a dynamic way, supporting Volkswagen’s position in a shared mobility world.

The platform is also designed to improve operational efficiency. The platform architecture supports mobility across cloud platforms, as required by business needs and geographical restrictions with built-in system monitoring and operational KPIs.

The Ventic device platform is also designed to improve customer experience, with significantly improved response times with a service delivery architecture that optimises an end-to-end system from wireless connection to telematics applications, while simultaneously addressing key concerns around hardware power management.

“Volkswagen is committed to connected vehicle technology, as we see a future where all cars are 100 percent connected at all times,” said Abdallah Shanti, Global CIO, Volkswagen Brand, and Member of the Board, Ventic LLC. “Our connectivity platform expands beyond remote services and vehicle safety and security. This platform has inherent flexibility which enables new business models through third-party integration and is foundational for V2X communications. Furthermore, this platform will serve our customers with delightful and useful functions, as well as being a gateway to other digital ecosystems.”

“The connected vehicle is at the centre of the game-changing trends in the industry – autonomous, electric, shared,” said Raj Kanaya, General Manager of Automotive and Chief Marketing Officer, Aeris, and Member of the Board, Ventic LLC. “Through Ventic, we’re excited to be on this journey with Volkswagen.”