Automated Vehicle Safety Consortium Welcomes The Volkswagen Group as its Newest Member, Expanding its International Expertise

2019-12-12 WARRENDALE, PA.

The Volkswagen Group Joins Expanding List of Automakers and Ride Share Operators to Develop Safety Framework for Broad Deployment of Autonomous Vehicle Technology

WARRENDALE, Pa. (December 12, 2019) – The Automated Vehicle Safety Consortium™ (AVSC) today bolstered its international reach by welcoming The Volkswagen Group as the latest member of the consortium. This recent addition will further support the AVSC in developing best safety practices around which automated vehicle (AV) technology can be responsibly developed and adopted ahead of broad deployment.

“As we continue developing best practices around the safe deployment of automated vehicles, it’s important that we expand the AVSC to bring together innovative companies from across the world,” said Dr. Edward Straub, executive director of the Automated Vehicle Safety Consortium. “Volkswagen is known for manufacturing safe and reliable vehicles. Now as an AVSC member, it is continuing its commitment to making our roads safer with reliable AV technology.”

By joining the consortium, The Volkswagen Group will have a hand in providing expertise to the team by sharing collective learning and perspectives of the entire Volkswagen group including Audi AG, VW AG, Autonomous Intelligent Driving (AID) GmbH, MOIA (mobility service subsidiary), as well as other divisions to provide helpful insight towards the objectives of the consortium.

“It’s important that the industry work together in the development of standards and best practices for automated driving,” said Wolfgang Demmelbauer-Ebner, chief engineering officer for Volkswagen’s North American Region. “That process begins with safe and efficient testing criteria and we’re excited to begin work with the AVSC to ensure those are defined and adopted across the board.”

The Volkswagen Group intends to be deeply involved in North American and European AV testing and validation. In July, the auto group invested $2.6 billion in capital and assets into Argo AI, the Pittsburgh-based autonomous vehicle startup, including contributing its Autonomous Intelligent Driving (AID) GmbH company to be part of Argo AI and become its European headquarters.

In addition to The Volkswagen Group, the growing consortium also includes SAE International, Ford, General Motors, Toyota, Uber ATG, Daimler and Honda.

Consortium members are working on the development of a series of safety principles for SAE Level 4 and 5 automated driving systems focusing on testing before and during operation of AVs on public roads; data collection, protection and sharing; and interactions between AVs and other road users.

The AVSC recently published its first written best practice for In-Vehicle Fallback Test Driver (IFTD) (safety operator) selection, training and oversight procedures.

For more information about the AVSC, visit avsc.sae-itc.org

SAE Industry Technologies Consortia (SAE ITC®) is an affiliate of SAE International. The SAE ITC team specializes in establishing and managing consortia by providing proven processes, tools and resources. ITC enables public, private, academic and government organizations to connect and collaborate in neutral, pre-competitive forums thus empowering the setting and implementation of strategic business improvements in highly engineered industries globally. (www.sae-itc.com)

About Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (VWGoA) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Volkswagen AG, one of the world’s leading automobile manufacturers and the largest carmaker in Europe. VWGoA operates a manufacturing plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee and houses the U.S. operations of a worldwide family of distinguished and exciting brands including Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini and Volkswagen, as well as VW Credit, Inc. Founded in 1955, the company's headquarters are in Herndon, Va. The company has 8,000 employees in the United States and sells its vehicles through a network of 1,000 dealers.