Volkswagen is teaming up with Danish tech firm Connected Cars to bring smarter servicing and predictive maintenance to its vans.

The deal means Volkswagen’s Connect Pro fleet management system will now work with Connected Cars’ telematics kit, giving drivers, fleet managers, and workshops access to live vehicle data. In practice, that means vans can flag faults before they become breakdowns, with dealers able to see the issue remotely and get repairs lined up faster.

For owner-operators and small firms, the key advantage is the promise of more uptime. If a warning light appears, the system can share the details directly with the workshop, cutting out wasted trips and helping keep vehicles on the road, earning money.

Workshops also get an upgrade. Using the ConnectedWorkshop interface, technicians will see live health data and fault codes, so they can call customers in before problems escalate. That should mean fewer nasty surprises and a smoother link between booking a service and sorting the fix.

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles says the changes will also make it easier to manage multiple vans, with smarter scheduling and over-the-air updates built in.

Other manufacturers are already pushing hard in this space. Ford Pro has built much of its sales pitch around uptime, with its FordLiive telematics and dealer network promising fast fixes and proactive maintenance. Stellantis brands such as Citroen, Peugeot, and Vauxhall also offer connected services through Free2Move.

Volkswagen’s new partnership with Connected Cars puts it firmly in the same space, with a phased rollout starting in key European markets and wider deployment planned over the next five years.

“By integrating our CC-Link hardware and CC-DataStream platform with Volkswagen’s Connect Pro, we’re enabling truly predictive, proactive maintenance on a global scale,” explained Jesper Hill-Kjærsgaard, CEO of Connected Cars A/S. “The real winners are the customers – they’ll experience less downtime and more personalised service than ever before.”

Volkswagen signs deal with Connected Cars

Kersten Lange, head of product marketing & connectivity at Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, added: “This collaboration allows us to deliver real-time diagnostics and predictive maintenance capabilities to our dealers and fleet customers European-wide. By partnering with Connected Cars, we’re boosting our vehicles’ uptime and giving our commercial clients a powerful new toolset for fleet management.”

Phil Huff
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