Volkswagen is using CES 2024 to tease the 2025 Volkswagen GTI update and announce it will become the first volume vehicle manufacturer to offer ChatGPT as a standard feature in their vehicles.
Interestingly, Volkswagen released official spy photos of the 2025 Volkswagen GTI in a press release for their upcoming ChatGPT integration. These photos give us solid hints about what to expect for the 2025 Volkswagen GTI’s mid-cycle refresh. Maligned for using touch-sensitive buttons in the interior, these photos indicate VW is moving away from them with individual hard buttons appearing on the steering wheel. The 2025 Volkswagen GTI also looks set to receive a larger infotainment display (hopefully with back-lit climate and volume controls) and a mildly revised exterior.
In addition to the 2025 Volkswagen GTI images, Volkswagen announced their ChatGTP integration will debut in the second quarter of 2024 and eventually make its way to the ID.71, ID.4, ID.5, ID.3, the all-new Tiguan, the all-new Passat, and the new Golf. Arriving as an update to Volkswagen’s IDA voice assistant, this automotive-grade ChatGPT integration is enabled by Cerence Chat Pro technology from Cerence Inc.
Users will not need to install a new app or even activate the new ChatGPT feature as it will be integrated into the current “Hello IDA” voice assistant system as an update to the backend operation. This system will be able to control infotainment, navigation, and vehicle functions and answer general knowledge questions. Should additional information be needed in a request, this AI integration will allow the system to furnish more in-depth answers, which Volkswagen says will include “enriching conversations, clearing up questions, interacting in intuitive language, receiving vehicle-specific information, and much more.”
“Volkswagen has always democratized technology and made it accessible to the many. This is simply ingrained in our DNA. As a result, we are now the first volume manufacturer to make this innovative technology a standard feature to vehicles from the compact segment upwards,” said Kai Grünitz, Member of the Board of Management Volkswagen Brand for technical Development.
Notably, Volkswagen’s ChatGPT integration will not gain access to vehicle information, with questions and answers deleted immediately to ensure the highest levels of data protection. The system has been designed to prioritize security and seamlessly integrate with IDA’s numerous capabilities.
Volkswagen says this new feature is currently being considered for the United States, indicating that its launch will likely start in Europe before spreading to other markets in the future.
