Volkswagen Just Unveiled a Concept Car You Can Control From Your Smartphone

Volkswagen (VLKAY) unveiled a concept "ID" car which you can control from your smartphone. The User-ID app carries preferences across vehicles, and like many of the other cars and robots at CES, integrates Amazon's (AMZN) - Get Report  Alexa. The app also transforms your smartphone into a key, and allows yourself and whoever you grant access to the car for certain periods of time. Your favorite music, screen configurations and optimal seating positions are automatically configured when you enter the car through the app, along with your entertainment streaming subscriptions. Volkswagen is combining car and home through "DoorBird." It alerts the driver whenever anyone is at the front door of their home and ringing the video door bell. It allows you to switch the lights at home on or off remotely and sends you a message whenever you leave something important behind at home. A trigger or connecting a phone causes the app to initiate a search for all objects and devices linked to the app with small Bluetooth tags. This concept serves as a preview of an all-electric model that will launch in 2020, with an autonomous driving option arriving in 2025.

This article was written by a staff member of TheStreet.