CARIAD launches application store for the Volkswagen Group

• World premiere for the new group-wide store at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, live in the cars already in July 2023
• Audi is the first Volkswagen Group brand to implement the experience, other brands will follow.
• Open Ecosystem: Supports integration of third-party services such as Spotify, TikTok, Yelp, Webex by Cisco, The Weather Channel® and the smart home platform Home Assistant in addition to proprietary apps from Volkswagen Group
• CARIAD CEO Dirk Hilgenberg: “First major milestone in our year of delivery. The store already allows a first glimpse on the completely new ‘One.Infotainment’ system of our future premium software”
• Audi CTO Oliver Hoffmann: “We will offer customers a new level of digital in-car experience, seamlessly connecting their Audi to their digital life.”  

Wolfsburg | March 1, 2023 – World premiere at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona: The software company CARIAD launches a new uniform application store in cars of the Volkswagen Group brands. Audi is the first brand to integrate the store in selected models as of July 2023. In addition to exclusive apps from Audi, Porsche, Volkswagen and other brands, the store will give customers in-car access to content provided by third parties. CARIAD is working with HARMAN, a Samsung company, to create an open ecosystem for apps that drivers can use in their cars’ infotainment systems.

CARIAD and HARMAN have already secured numerous partners for the application store. Whether music & video, gaming, navigation, parking & charging, weather apps or remote work – the store offers essential and popular functions that turn the car into a smart companion for drivers. In addition, the Volkswagen Group brands will integrate their own apps, such as online traffic light information or navigation services. In future, they can also offer their customers additional services via the store.  As a result, customers will experience a car that will always be improving through frequent updates, be it through third-party apps, or compelling and innovative CARIAD offerings.

The store launch marks an important deliverable for CARIAD: “Our new store for digital apps is the first major milestone in CARIAD’s year of delivery. It is the result of a great collaboration between Audi, CARIAD and HARMAN,” says CARIAD CEO Dirk Hilgenberg. “We will take the in-car experience to the next level – by integrating the digital world of the Volkswagen Group’s customers seamlessly into the car. Our Group application store already allows a first glimpse on a completely new infotainment stack: The store will be part of the ‘One.Infotainment’ system in the premium software for the next generation of Porsche and Audi models.”

Starting in summer 2023 Audi will integrate the application store in selected models. “Audi is the first brand in the Volkswagen Group to introduce the Group Application Store in its vehicles. We will offer our customers a new level of digital in-car experience, seamlessly connecting their Audi to their digital life. As our Group-wide software supplier, CARIAD has provided a scalable solution with the Group Application Store, which we at Audi have adapted specifically for our products. This ability as a team to scale software solutions across different market segments represents an important milestone on our roadmap,” said Oliver Hoffmann, CTO of Audi. First, Audi will equip the Audi A4, A5, Q5, A6, A7, A8, Q8 e-tron and e-tron GT in Europe, USA, Canada, Mexico and Overseas markets with the new store. Later it will be rolled out to further models and regions as well as to other Volkswagen Group brands. 

For the application store, CARIAD has teamed up with HARMAN, an automotive electronics technology company focused on designing consumer experiences at automotive grade. The application store integrates with the HARMAN Ignite Store, a solution for automotive infotainment systems, which allows the Volkswagen Group brands to maintain control of 3rd party content, the user experience and the primary relationship with the end user. “We are delighted to collaborate with CARIAD to provide a solution that will usher in a new era of third-party innovation for automotive,” says Huibert Verhoeven, Senior Vice President, Digital Cockpit, HARMAN. “HARMAN Ignite Store removes the heavy lifting required for third-party developers to adapt their content and services for automotive. At the same time, we enable OEMs like Volkswagen Group in this first-to-market implementation, to maintain control of this important emerging market while providing a stand-out in-vehicle experience for their customers.”

The application store provides a rich set of third-party automotive apps written specifically for automotive and adapted to existing mobile applications to meet automotive requirements. Thanks to a scalable platform approach, developers will be empowered to reach several OEMs and a vast number of Volkswagen Group vehicles via the application store without additional adjustments. The store consistently ensures that the applications in the vehicle meet the high safety requirements of the automotive industry. Third-party developers will also be able to seamlessly update and upgrade their applications over the air at any time. 

The list of apps for the CARIAD store will be continuously extended. The first partners of the store include for example: the streaming services Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Tidal, Tubi, the weather provider The Weather Channel Gaming Hub FRVR, POI service Yelp, Stingray Karaoke, social media service TikTok, Parkwhiz, charging app Plugshare, the smart home platform Home Assistant, open web browser Vivaldi, and the collaboration app Webex by Cisco. 

Quotes of app providers: 

Spotify

Jonathan Tarlton, Business Development Lead at Spotify: “With CARIAD’s new platform, Spotify now feels like it’s seamlessly built into the car. Whether it’s your favorite song, podcast, or audiobook, our listeners can now soundtrack their ride in a fun and easy way.”

TikTok

TikTok: “Making TikTok available to Audi users in partnership with CARIAD and the HARMAN Ignite Store, offers people more ways to experience the joy, entertainment and creativity of TikTok.”

Yelp

Chad Richard, Senior Vice President of Business and Corporate Development at Yelp: "Building on Yelp's local search and navigation partnership with Volkswagen Group, we are excited to give Audi drivers another meaningful way to discover and connect with great local businesses on the go."

ARD Audiothek

Thomas Müller, Channelmanager ARD Audiothek: “ARD, in partnership with CARIAD and Harman, are the first in trialing a new contextual in-car feature for automotive: this will open up even more exciting journeys with ARD Audiothek playing content related to the listener's location."  

Webex

 Jeetu Patel, EVP & GM, Security & Collaboration, Cisco: “Cisco is thrilled to partner with HARMAN Ignite Store & Volkswagen-CARIAD to address the needs of hybrid workers. A new integration between the companies allows for seamless & safe collaboration using the Webex app when moving from the vehicle to and from the office, home and everywhere in between.”

The Weather Channel

“Increasingly volatile weather conditions and a changing climate have made access to weather data even more important for every person and business,” said Sheri Bachstein, CEO of The Weather Company, an IBM Business. “With The Weather Channel App, we strive to inform consumers wherever they are, including in their vehicles. Working with CARIAD and Harman within an open ecosystem helps us keep our innovation centered on consumers and their needs to help them make more informed decisions around weather.”

ParkWhiz

Dan Roarty, Chief Digital Officer, Flash: “While navigation, entertainment and great safety features are quickly coming to connected vehicles, delivery of seamless, digital parking discovery and payment is also key. We’re excited to partner with CARIAD to take advantage of the powerful capabilities of the new Ignite platform to help eliminate one of the last great challenges of every driving experience.”

Gaming Hub FRVR

Brian Meidell, CEO, FRVR (Hyper Casual Gaming): “FRVR spearheads the new field of automotive gaming by bringing accessible, fun and engaging in-car entertainment experiences to Audi users. Great to be on board!”

Upon go-live of the Group Application Store the following apps will be available and the offer will be expanded continuously. 

• Audio: Amazon Music, App RadioFM, Audioburst, Bauer Media Group, Gedi (La Repubblica), iHeartRadio, Libby, LiveOne, Pocketcasts, Radioline, Radioplayer, Spotify, Tidal, Tune in
• Charging: Chargehub, Plugshare
• Gaming: Famobi, FRVR, Mobile Game Hub, Vector Unit, Stingray Karaoke
• Internet Browser: Vivaldi
• Navigation: A better Routeplanner, Sygic
• News: DW, ZDF Heute
• Parking: Parkwhiz
• POI: Mappo, Road.Travel, Yelp
• Productivity: Webex
• Smart Home: Home Assistant
• Social: TikTok
• Video: ARD, OTTera, Plaion Films, Tubi, ZDF
• Weather: Accuweather, The Weather Channel

About CARIAD

CARIAD is an independent automotive software company in the Volkswagen Group that is consolidating and further expanding the Group's software competencies. The company is developing the leading technology stack for the automotive industry with the mission to make the automotive experience safer, more sustainable and more comfortable for people. Established in 2020 under the name Car.Software Organization, CARIAD now has more than 6,500 experts worldwide working on a scalable technology stack for all Volkswagen Group brands, comprising a software platform, a unified electronic architecture and a reliable connection to the automotive cloud. The company is also developing digital functions for the vehicle, including driver assistance systems, a standardized infotainment platform, software functions for linking powertrains, chassis and charging technology, as well as the new digital ecosystem and digital services in and around the vehicle. CARIAD has software competence centers in Wolfsburg, Ingolstadt, the Stuttgart region, Berlin and Munich, and has subsidiaries in China and the USA. For more information, visit https://cariad.technology.

About HARMAN

HARMAN (harman.com) designs and engineers connected products and solutions for automakers, consumers, and enterprises worldwide, including connected car systems, audio and visual products, enterprise automation solutions; and services supporting the Internet of Things. With leading brands including AKG®, HARMAN Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon®, Mark Levinson® and Revel®, HARMAN is admired by audiophiles, musicians and the entertainment venues where they perform around the world. More than 50 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and connected car systems. Our software services power billions of mobile devices and systems that are connected, integrated and secure across all platforms, from work and home to car and mobile. HARMAN has a workforce of approximately 30,000 people across the Americas, Europe, and Asia. In 2017, HARMAN became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.