One of the most popular car brands in the world has announced a huge investment in its future that could revolutionise how motorists use their vehicles.
Volkswagen has unveiled a massive €1billion (£866million) investment in artificial intelligence as part of a huge overhaul of its development.
It said that the funding would be used for "AI-driven vehicle development, industrial applications and high-performance IT infrastructure".
The announcement, which came at the IAA Mobility event in Munich, Germany, has been hailed by VW officials as showing the brand's ambition to modernise.
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Volkswagen said it would be investing heavily in artificial intelligence over the next five years
|VOLKSWAGEN
VW stated that AI could unlock efficiency gains and "cost avoidance opportunities" that could be worth a staggering €4.5billion (£3.9billion) in the next 10 years.
Hauke Stars, Member of the Board of Management for IT at the Volkswagen Group, said: "With artificial intelligence, we are igniting the next stage on our path to becoming the global automotive tech driver.
"AI is our key to greater speed, quality, and competitiveness – across the entire value chain, from vehicle development to production.
"Our ambition is to accelerate our development of attractive, innovative vehicles and bring them to our customers faster than ever before."
Hauke Stars supported the move to scale up the use of artificial intelligence
|VOLKSWAGEN
Ms Stars explained that VW would be able to achieve its goals if the artificial intelligence technology is deployed "with purpose".
This will be done by making it scalable, responsible and with clear industrial benefits. She added that there would be "no process without AI".
Artificial intelligence is already being used across more than 1,200 projects across the Volkswagen Group, with hundreds more in development.
Volkswagen said it would build an AI-powered engineering environment for its vehicle development division, alongside partner Dassault Systèmes.
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The Wolfsburg-based brand said the AI collaboration could slash product development cycles to just 36 months or less.
This would be revolutionary for the manufacturer, with Volkswagen highlighting that this would make it at least 25 per cent - or 12 months - faster compared to present timelines.
Volkswagen said the implementation of AI could also help protect the brand from cyber attacks, which have blighted other brands recently.
Jaguar Land Rover continues to grapple with issues stemming from a cyber incident which crippled the brand's production and registration services.
VW said the investment could help the manufacturer save €4billion over the next decade
| REUTERSHauke Stars continued, saying that Volkswagen supported the "innovation-friendly evolution" of regulations across the European Union.
She added: " In addition, targeted incentives are needed: We must make more of what we're capable of.
"This includes, above all, funding programs that strengthen spin-offs from universities and research institutions and accelerate the transfer of scientific knowledge into market-ready applications."
Volkswagen also placed an emphasis on "technological independence and resilience" as it ramps up development of its electric vehicles.