ARCHIVE FOR THE ‘connected-car’ CATEGORY

Connected car technology means Christmas shopping has just got a lot easier for Swedish shoppers. Volvo Car Group has announced the world's first commercially available In-Car Delivery service.

The car maker has teamed up with PostNord, the Nordic region’s communication and logistics supplier , Lekmer.com, the leading Nordic online toy and baby goods store, and Mat.se, a Swedish online grocery retailer, to have Christmas toys, gifts, food and drinks delivered to its cars.

The  In-car Delivery service works by means of a digital key, which is used to gain one-time access to the vehicle. Owners simply order the goods online, receive a notification that the goods have been delivered and then just drive home with them. Volvo owners just choose the In-car Delivery option at the online checkout when they buy their gifts, food, drinks or other packages.

Volvo In-car Delivery is currently only available for Volvo drivers in Gothenburg who subscribe to the Volvo On Call service, but it will be introduced elsewhere in Sweden and to other countries in future. There will also be a wider range of goods available for In-car Delivery as Volvo joins forces with more companies.

“Christmas is fun – but let’s be honest, it is also a busy time for most families. This service simply makes shopping easier,” said Björn Annwall, Senior Vice President for Marketing, Sales and Service at Volvo. “Volvo In-car Delivery provides concrete proof that connected car technologies can be used to save people time and make their lives easier.”

Volvo is always keen to explore new technologies, be it in the areas of safety, autonomous driving or connectivity, but believes fundamentally in Nordic utility – meaning it will only introduce a technology if it actually saves lives, saves times, adds an element of convenience or benefits drivers.

“Volvo is not interested in technology for the sake of technology,” said Klas Bendrik, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Volvo. “If a technology does not make a customer’s life easier, better, safer or more fun, we don’t use it.”

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TomTom Telematics is using its fleet management expertise to develop connected car services. The first pilot is with a leading European vehicle importer.

In a national pilot across Holland, leading European car importer Pon’s Automobiel Handel will deploy connected car technology to deliver real-time information about their vehicles’ status and performance to customers and dealerships.  The company will use TomTom Telematics'  cloud-based services platform and its mobile app development expertise that draws upon vehicle dashboard information.

“TomTom Telematics has more than 15 years of experience providing data insights for fleet management,” said Thomas Schmidt, Managing Director. “Developments in connected car technology are now opening up new opportunities for us to underpin innovative solutions for consumers and the wider automotive industry.”

The partnership with Pon will enable car owners to receive feedback and advice about their vehicles on their smartphones – from dashboard indicators, driver performance information, mileage and battery level to car location and door-lock status. Alongside many other features, driver score rankings will allow for competition between drivers and help them to save fuel, drive more safely.

Car engine status and maintenance information can also be made available to dealerships, if authorised by the car owner. This will allow drivers to select their preferred dealer for all their vehicle service requirements and provides dealers with more opportunities to liaise with customers and improve service standards.

“The market-leading advancements TomTom Telematics is offering in cloud services for the connected car are enabling us to raise the bar in customer support and takes service provision from our dealerships to a whole new level,” said Pon Service Director, Tjeerd Tuitel.

Schmidt added: “We are proud to add telematics to the navigation products TomTom already offers the automotive industry and look forward to growing our collaborations with industry partners to use our robust platform and connected car technology to improve company service levels, road safety, sustainability and the driver experience.”

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