Technology is evolving at an insane pace in the automotive world. With some new tech added to our cars literally every day, it’s no more a buy-off-the-counter scene for automakers. That is one of the many reasons why automakers and technology companies are collaborating, the latest of which are Volkswagen and Microsoft.

What Are They Working On?

Volkswagen and Microsoft are partnering to develop a "comprehensive industrial automotive cloud” called Volkswagen Automotive Cloud.

The technology will allow Volkswagen to provide a host of services to customers, such as on-board media streaming, smart-home connectivity, a personal assistant, predictive maintenance services, updates and upgrades, and much more.

You Can’t Hire A Playground To Host The Olympics

Given that Volkswagen is the second biggest car manufacturer in the world, it needed an equally capable service provider that can innovate, as well as handle the requirements of the German automaker. Also, Volkswagen hopes to add more than five million new Volkswagen-brand vehicles per year to the Internet of Things (IoT) in the cloud starting from 2020. Volkswagen will build its cloud service on Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform as well as Azure IoT Edge.

Can We Call Them Friends With Benefits?

Since technology is not their forte, collaborations like these help companies connect with customers based on tech features that can be integrated into cars. Not to mention, these help as big selling points. It’s a big, big opportunity to do business for both the parties. Although not as far-sighted as Volkswagen and Microsoft, Volvo and the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance have partnered with Google to integrate Android OS into their models’ infotainment systems. The whole thing goes onto a different level when used in electric cars and autonomous vehicles. Huge amounts of data will need to be transmitted from the automaker to the vehicle and vice-versa; so, a cloud-based platform like Azura helps simplify that problem.

Our Take

I would prefer driving a car with none of these shenanigans, to be honest.

A car with three pedals and a stick would keep me calmer and happier, and more connected to the road to enjoy the soul-soothing experience of driving. In your opinion, is the ‘intrusion’ of technology in cars getting a little out of hand, or are you cool with cars getting tech-savvy? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.

Further Reading

Read more technology news.