German carmaker Volkswagen will unite all its unmanned vehicle technologies in one brand with the name IQ Drive. The first models of self-driving cars under this brand will appear on European markets as early as January 2019.
In the days around Christmas, the Germans will launch a large-scale advertising campaign that has to show the manufacturer’s capabilities in the development of driver assistance systems. It is they who are at the heart of the new technologies for the autonomous movement that will be relied upon.
According to Volkswagen sales director Jurgen Stackmann, many of the already existing models have intellectual electronic assistants that provide greater comfort and safety for passengers, but IQ Drive opens the door to the fully autonomous movement.
The new brand will bring together all available intellectual driving and parking systems, as well as systems for safe driving, such as Park Assist, Lane Assist or Front Assist. In addition, technology that Volkswagen is still developing will be based on the creation of a vehicle with 5th level of autonomy (fully automated, without driver involvement).
The first robotic models of the IQ Drive will be shown next month, but it is still unclear whether they will be different from the already-presented concept cars of Volkswagen.
