Autonomous driving

Discover the future

Autonomous driving is no longer a dream, but a very real future. Volkswagen are dedicated to testing the limits of driver mobility in our goal to create universally usable vehicles.

See the table below to learn more about levels of automation. 

Era

Past

Present

2017 - 2020

2020 - 2025

2025 - 2030

Level

1

2

3

4

5

Automation

DRIVER ASSISTANCE

Automated systems sometimes assist with steering or speed control.

PARTIAL AUTOMATION

Automated system can steer and control speed on sustained basis while the human driver monitors the driving environment and performs rest of driving task.

CONDITIONAL AUTOMATION

Automated system can both actually conduct the driving task and monitor the driving environment with the operational design domain (ODD) but human driver must be ready to take back control when requested.

HIGHLY AUTOMATED

Automated system can conduct the driving task and monitor the driving environment, and the human need not take back control, but only within the ODD.

FULLY AUTOMATED

Automated system performs all driving tasks, under all conditions.

Driving Environment

Levels 0 - 2
Human driver is responsible for monitoring driving environment 

Levels 3 - 5
ADS is responsible for monitoring driving environment.

ADS

Levels 0 - 3
Human driver must be ready to resume control if the ADS fails

Levels 4 and 5
ADS continues to control vehicle following an ADS failure or ODD exit 

Level

Automation

Driving Environment

ADS

Say hello to Sedric

Sedric (self-driving car) is the Volkswagen Group's first, Level 5, fully autonomous car and a pioneer for the automotive industry. At just the touch of a button, Sedric is designed to conveniently and safely drive itself to its passenger’s destination.

Sedric represents the height of intelligence in vehicles, capable of dropping children off to school, parents to their workplace, collecting shopping or looking for a parking space - all from a smartphone app.

Designed to be almost like a personal assistant, passengers are able to talk to Sedric about their destination, traffic times, or their time of arrival. And, without the need for a wheel or pedals, there’s plenty of space for lounging out, making it one of the most comfortable ways to travel. Sedric symbolises a sustainable, intelligent and connected future of driving.

Meet the game changers

Concept cars

Our latest concept cars, the I.D., the I.D. Buzz and the I.D. Crozz, all realise the possibility of autonomous driving. Discover how Volkswagen are making the future real.

We make the future real

Technology today

Explore how Volkswagen is making the future real with features like Lane Assist, Adaptive Cruise Control and Pedestrian Monitoring.

Next steps

Explore the emerging technologies at Volkswagen

Your online buying guide 

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