Volkswagen to use data from customer cars to optimise ADAS

Volkswagen Group has announced that it will use real-world sensor and image data from customer cars to optimise its advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS).

Data will only be captured during evasive manoeuvres, heavy braking events and autonomous emergency braking (AEB) activations.

It will capture images from the car’s external cameras, as well as vehicle telematics information and sensor data.

The programme will start with Volkswagen cars, before expanding to Cupra, Škoda, Audi, Porsche and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, and is intended to make ADAS systems less intrusive as well as more effective, ensuring customers do not deactivate them.

Volkswagen said the improvements could allow a car to detect pedestrians moving towards the road and build up brake pressure in anticipation of an emergency.

Customers will need to give consent for the data sharing programme.

The programme has already launched in Germany and will now expand to 40 European countries, including the UK.

Volkswagen has previously used customer vehicle data to generate high-resolution road maps, enabling lane guidance to function on roads without markings.