LG Electronics says to jointly develop connected car platform with Volkswagen

LG Innotek Co

06/07/2016 09:00

SEOUL, July 6 (Reuters) - South Korea's LG Electronics Inc 
 066570.KS  said on Wednesday it will work with German carmaker 
Volkswagen AG  VOWG_p.DE  to jointly develop a connected car 
platform to enable vehicles to communicate with external 
devices. 
    LG, in a statement, said it and Volkswagen will work to 
jointly develop over "the next few years" technologies allowing 
drivers to control and monitor devices in their homes such as 
lights and security systems, as well as in-vehicle entertainment 
technologies and an alerting system for drivers providing 
"recommendations" based on real-time situations. 
    Automakers and technology companies have been forming 
partnerships in recent years, as the race to develop 
self-driving cars has created need for more sophisticated 
components and software that will allow vehicles to seamlessly 
communicate with various external devices and servers via the 
internet. 
    LG Electronics, along with affiliates LG Display Co Ltd 
 034220.KS  and LG Innotek Co Ltd  011070.KS , has identified 
the auto industry as a new growth driver and has been pushing to 
grow new businesses amid continued struggles for its mobile 
phones division. 
    LG and its sister companies last year clinched a deal to 
supply key components ranging from the battery cells and the 
electric motor for General Motors Co's  GM.N  2017 Chevrolet 
Bolt electric car, burnishing their credentials. LG companies 
also supply products such as car audio systems and batteries to 
Volkswagen. 
    In the statement on Wednesday, Thomas Form, Volkswagen's 
head of electronics and vehicle research, called LG a strong 
partner and said the pair will work to integrate smart home 
solutions into Volkswagen vehicles. 
 
 (Reporting by Se Young Lee; Editing by Christopher Cushing) 
 ((vincentsy.lee@thomsonreuters.com; +822 3704 5646; Reuters 
Messaging: vincentsy.lee.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net; follow 
me on Twitter @Rover829)) 
 
Keywords: LG ELEC VOLKSWAGEN/