Volkswagen Claims More Than 2 Million Car2X-Equipped Cars In Europe – CleanTechnica

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In a blog post on October 25, 2025, Volkswagen announced it has sold more than 2 million vehicles with what it calls Car2X technology to customers in Europe. Car2X is an example of the internet of things optimized for drivers. How is it different than ADAS, which stands for automated driver assistance systems? Simply like this:

Car2X allows vehicles to communicate with each other and with other external sources such as traffic lights, emergency vehicles, and traffic monitoring systems. It is a system that effectively crowdsources information to make driving safer and less stressful.

Two-Way Communication

ADAS is only capable of one-way communication. It gathers input from various sensors — cameras, proximity sensors, radar, and/or lidar — but does not share any of that information with other vehicles. Unless those sensors detect an emergency vehicle stopped in the road ahead, a car may plow into it, endangering both the driver and the first responders present on the scene.

Volkswagen said that having more than two million Car2X vehicles on the road in Europe is an important step towards reducing the number of traffic accidents. In addition, the connectivity of the Car2X system makes driving safer, more convenient, and more efficient.

Swarm Intelligence

“The vehicles networked via Car2X use the principle of local swarm intelligence and can communicate both with each other and with the local traffic infrastructure in real time. In critical situations, the traffic hazard alert assist system can then display a warning message to vehicle occupants via the digital dashboard in the passenger compartment,” the company says. The system is standard equipment on some Volkswagen models and optional on others.

With Car2X, “direct communication between vehicles and infrastructure can take place in milliseconds, without the need for mobile network reception. The associated increase in information density permits timely warnings and reactions in situations where fast transmission is important.”

Examples of when the system becomes an important part of safer driving is when cars ahead suddenly activate emergency braking, or a line of slow-moving traffic is encountered unexpectedly, or when approaching emergency vehicles.

Connectivity with surrounding infrastructure is also gaining in importance, Volkswagen says. Intelligent roadside units can send specific warning messages to vehicles about various traffic events, such as cars driving the wrong way, traffic jams, or people, animals, and objects in the road. They can also warn of weather events like hail, snow, black ice, or downpours that may make driving dangerous

Veronica Lehr, Head of Driver Assist Systems in Volkswagen’s Development department, said: “With the increasing use of Car2X, road traffic can become more cooperative and anticipatory in many areas. The technology is therefore a key component for our ‘Vision Zero’ — traffic without serious accidents. In addition, Volkswagen is laying the foundation for the mobility of the future, which is set to be safer, intelligent and connected.” The graphic below shows the alerts that the Car2X system can display to drivers.

 Car2X Gains Across Europe

More investments in the Car2X infrastructure are happening all across Europe. The operator of the Autobahn in Germany has already equipped over 1,000 of its service vehicles with Car2X technology. Roadside units are now in place throughout the highway network in Austria. Countries such as Italy, Spain, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovenia have also installed a large number of roadside units and equipped emergency and special vehicles with Car2X equipment.

Roadside assistance services also use the technology to share information with Car2X-enabled drivers. Maintenance crews and rescue services see this as a milestone in the prevention of accidents and as a way to keep their workers safe.

A fire engine or emergency medical vehicle equipped with Car2X makes it possible for drivers of cars equipped with Car2X systems to see which direction an emergency vehicle is approaching via a digital dashboard alert. The system can also lower the volume of the infotainment system so the alert can be heard over the din of Bohemian Rhapsody turned up to 11.

Volkswagen says Car2X will make it possible for innovative new driver assistance systems that will make driving even more convenient and efficient in the future. The system already functions as a virtual sensor that supplements the onboard vehicle sensors and supports the driver assist systems in the vehicle.

After receiving information from sensors outside the vehicle, the optional Travel Assist with Adaptive Cruise Control can reduce speed even if the end of a line of stopped traffic is not yet visible. For assisted lane changes on highways, Car2X can control acceleration more accurately than ADAS systems alone.

In the future, bicycles, motorcycles, and other road users such as trucks and buses could also be networked. Volkswagen is a member of the Coalition for Cyclist Safety, a consortium of leading names from the automotive, bicycle, and technology industries established in 2023 whose mission is to increase safety for bicyclists by integrating them into the technological ecosystem.

Car2X Uses Wi-Fi p Standard

The Car2X direct communication in Volkswagen models is based on the Wi-Fi p standard, which allows vehicles to exchange warnings, location data, and other information in real time within a radius of up to 800 meters. The notification exchange process is open and standardized, which makes it possible for vehicles from different manufacturers to communicate with each other. To protect privacy, the notifications are anonymized. In addition, the primary user must activate Car2X in the car’s infotainment system.

The transmission of information is free of charge, as it does not take place over the mobile network. The traffic hazard alert assist system with Car2X-technology is currently available as an option in the Golf, T-Roc, Tiguan, Tayron, Passat, ID.3, ID.4, and ID.5 models and is standard equipment on the ID.7.

The Center of Automotive Management has named Volkswagen the most innovative high volume automaker.  It says Volkswagen impresses with its wide ranging innovations at a high technological level, especially in the areas of electric mobility and connectivity. That is quite a feather in Volkswagen’s cap, especially considering the software issues it has had that have forced it to seek help from Rivian and Xpeng.

The Car2X technology barely gets mentioned when it comes to driving safety, and yet it is clearly an important piece in the quest for safer cars and safer drivers. Add it to the list of things US drivers do not have access to.