Initially slated for unveiling in Frankfurt next month, the Mark VIII has faced a series of challenges, the biggest centring around its digital software as a result of it incorporating online updates for the first time.
“We’ve never hid the fact that software, an area of extreme importance for products in the future, is a serious challenge for us. We have our homework ahead of us, and the teams are under heavy pressure,” Brand Chief, Juergen Stackmann, was quoted by Automotive News Europe as saying at the Shanghai Auto Show back in April.
“Due to their online connectivity there is a lot more software especially in the area of security, which is a real challenge since the car is no longer a closed ecosystem. A customer might get angry if their smartphone doesn’t work, but you do a debug the next day. A car is different — if something goes wrong it can become critical, so the security requirements are far higher”.
In a subsequent article published by the online platform two months later, Volkswagen Group CEO Herbert Diess admitted that Wolfsburg was racing against the clock to have the first units delivered by the end of the year with production kicking-off soon after it’s unveiling.
Despite having leaked earlier this month while undergoing an apparent television commercial shoot, little is known with reports claiming it will incorporate the new Active Info Display digital instrument cluster, ride on the second evolution of the MQB platform and come powered by a selection of 48-volt mild-hybrid engines with an electric variant due as well.
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