LG, Volkswagen pair up to connect smart cars to smart homes

LG Electronics has revealed plans to work with Volkswagen to jointly develop a connected car platform that will enable vehicles to communicate with external devices.

In a statement, LG said it and Volkswagen will work over "the next few years" to jointly develop technologies allowing drivers to control and monitor devices in their homes, such as lights and security systems, from their cars.

The partnership extends to developing in-vehicle entertainment technologies and an alert system for drivers that provides "recommendations" based on real-time situations.

Volkswagen's head of electronics and vehicle research Thomas Form called LG a strong partner and said the pair will work to integrate smart home solutions into Volkswagen vehicles.

The German carmaker has come under fire from lawmakers in recent times for intentionally programming its turbocharged direct injection (TDI) diesel engines to activate certain emissions controls only during laboratory emissions testing.

Meanwhile, in 2013 LG was caught out siphoning a host of information on viewer habits to help bolster targeted adverting on smart TVs.

LG Electronics, along with affiliated companies LG Display and LG Innotek, has identified the auto industry as a new growth driver and has been pushing to grow new businesses amid continued struggles for its mobile phones division.

Companies affiliated to LG also supply products such as car audio systems and batteries to Volkswagen.

Automakers and technology companies have been forming partnerships in recent years, as the race to develop self-driving cars.

However, last year, a prominent US senator raised concerns that car manufacturers are paying little to no attention to IT security despite most modern cars being vulnerable to hacking attacks.