US police forced to pay Volkswagen subscription to track stolen car

Cars are increasingly becoming software-driven with unlockable subscription services, but US police officers were forced to pay up to Volkswagen in order to track a stolen vehicle last month.

According to the Chicago Sun Times, thieves stole a pregnant mother’s Volkswagen in front of her home with her two-year-old toddler still inside as she was taking another child into the house.

Since its Car-Net internet telematics system trial had expired, Lake County detectives pleaded with a Volkswagen representative to reactivate it in order to remotely track the location of the vehicle and, importantly, the abducted child.

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But the representative was steadfast.

“The detective had to work out getting a credit card number and then call the representative back to pay the USD$150 [before] the representative provided the GPS location of the vehicle,” deputy chief Christopher Covelli told the Chicago Sun Times.

The ordeal took 30 minutes – but by then, the County police had already located the vehicle and child before Volkswagen provided the location.

He was left unharmed in a parking lot, but the expectant mother was taken to hospital in a serious condition due to a scuffle with the carjackers.

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Volkswagen US issued a statement to the publication, labelling the incident as a “serious breach of the process” and are “addressing the situation with the parties involved”.

Covelli said other car tracking services usually cooperate with an exemption – as long as the level of urgency is communicated.

“Obviously, it’s a major concern when there’s information that could potentially save a life and there are major hurdles that one has to jump over to try to get that information,” Covelli said.

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“Most companies understand those things take significant time when time is of the essence and the information is needed now to potentially save a life.”

In Australia, car brands such as Ford, Kia, Hyundai, Polestar, and Mercedes-Benz offer internet telematics, mobile app, and automatic emergency calling services for a limited period.

BMW, Mercedes, Volkswagen and Volvo are already (or soon) adopting subscriptions to unlock hardware or software features, such as performance upgrades, future autonomous driving functions, and heated seats.