Cupra Australia says it’s “pushing really hard” with its Spanish global parent to bring factory-backed connected services Down Under, in direct response to customer feedback.
Speaking with CarExpert, head of product for Cupra Australia – Jeff Shafer – said the dearth of connected services within the brand’s vehicles locally is something his team is directly looking to handle soon.
“Yeah, we’re definitely trying to go along with a factory-backed solution – it’s a very hot topic,” Mr Shafer said.
“We feed back plenty of the local market needs [to global] and what we hear from customers. It’s a difficulty that exists at a Group level, not only a Cupra level, but we’re pushing really hard. I don’t have timing I can share immediately, but things are moving in a positive direction.”
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The Volkswagen Group in Australia has been unable to implement a factory-backed connected services feature set, something that has also impacted the specification of its products – particularly, its range of electrical vehicles (EVs) based on the dedicated MEB architecture.
While online navigation and live traffic updates are potentially features that the majority Australian buyers could live without, the dearth of proper app functionality like most EV rivals – including to examine charge status and toggle distant features like cabin pre-conditioning and the like – stands out in a market where that is becoming increasingly common.
Moreso, the MEB platform requires a connected services module for certain features that are currently not noted of Australian models, like inbuilt satellite navigation and emergency call functions, which also tie to functionality in other available features like head-up displays, in addition to over-the-air software updates.
Within the case of the Cupra Born, it also missed out on the Group’s clever Travel Assist semi-autonomous highway mode because of this too, because it offers connected functionality.
Earlier this 12 months, Volkswagen Australia’s passenger and business divisions rolled out a third-party solution in lieu of proprietary services, in the shape of Goconnect.
Via the Goconnect phone app, owners can view their parking position, visualise the vehicle’s most up-to-date trips, interact and book appointments with their dealer, view necessary errors and warnings, see the high-voltage battery status, and see the driving speed.
On the launch of the ID. Buzz electric van range, Volkswagen Group Australia director of economic vehicles, Ryan Davies, said: “Australia is currently one in all those [markets] we don’t have a real picture of when the connectivity that’s available in Europe will make its way into Australia”.
Audi Australia, while also under the VW Group banner locally, has long offered its own connected solutions via the Audi connect plus feature which offers a variety of online features and distant functions. Nevertheless, the MEB-based Q4 e-tron misses out on these features, no less than initially, because of the embedded connected module within the platform.
While premium brands and Tesla have had types of connected services and app functionality for a while, mainstream manufacturers have made strides on this space of late, as have many recent Chinese challenger brands.
Ford, Hyundai, Kia, Mazda and Toyota all offer connected services and app-based distant functions, as do the likes of BYD and MG.
All offer complimentary subscriptions with purchase, though length and available functionality can vary depending on the brand and subscription type. Not all of a brand’s models are all the time compatible, either.
This Article First Appeared At www.carexpert.com.au
