Volvo Cars to offer its customers preferential fast charging prices and a seamless experience

Pure electric Volvo C40 and XC40 Recharge at a charging station
Pure electric Volvo C40 and XC40 Recharge at a charging station
Pure electric Volvo C40 and XC40 Recharge at a charging station

Volvo Cars is outlining its ambition to offer its customers of Recharge cars comprehensive and easy access to public charging. It aims to do so by continuously lowering charging costs across the board for its customers, improving the charging experience, and expanding its charging networks.

Through a new and deepened collaboration with charging point platform Plugsurfing, Volvo Cars will offer its customers a heavily reduced charging price at Ionity charging points across Europe. Starting July 1, 2021, drivers of pure electric Volvo cars will pay 0,35 EUR/kWh at Ionity’s more than 340 high power charging stations across 24 European countries, during the first 12 months of ownership of a pure electric Volvo car. *

“We are excited to offer our customers one of the most competitive prices for charging at Ionity, one of Europe’s largest public fast charging networks,” said Olivier Loedel, head of electrification ecosystem at Volvo Cars. “This collaboration is a first step in our global ambition to help our customers of Recharge cars travel quickly at a much lower charging cost, wherever they are.”

“The bottom line is that customers want easy access to public charging infrastructure,” says Tatu Kulla, Plugsurfing CEO. “Price and quality of digital infrastructure are key aspects of an excellent user experience. We value the strategic partners who share this vision and seek collaborative solutions.”

To offer its customers a seamless charging experience, Volvo Cars will soon make its refreshed smartphone app, Volvo Cars app **, one consolidated digital charging platform.

It will integrate functionalities including navigation to charging stations, remote control of charging, charging notifications and payments, making every step of charging easier and a trip with an electric Volvo car more convenient than ever before.

“Volvo Cars aims to change the current fragmented public charging landscape into an all-in experience that is convenient and hassle-free,” said Olivier Loedel. “We want to achieve this by providing an integrated digital charging platform for our customers, and easy access to the largest charging networks globally.”

Pure electric Volvo C40 and XC40 Recharge at a charging station
Pure electric Volvo C40 and XC40 Recharge at a charging station

The Volvo Cars app is an updated version of the widely appreciated Volvo on Call app and is designed to offer Volvo Cars’ customers a convenient and continuously updated platform with access to various functionalities and services.

courtesy: https://www.media.volvocars.com/

Kia Niro wins Green Car Journal’s 2018 Green SUV of the Year

Kia Niro wins Green Car Journal's 2018 Green SUV of the Year

Kia Niro wins Green Car Journal's 2018 Green SUV of the Year

Recognizing environmental achievement in the auto industry, the Kia Niro has been named Green Car Journal’s 2018 Green SUV of the Year™. Since the Niro went on sale early last year, it has been a popular choice for consumers seeking a hybrid offering crossover utility and great looks. The Niro beat out crossover/SUV finalists from Chevrolet, Mini, Mazda, and Volvo for the coveted award.

“We’re thrilled to have received this special distinction from Green Car Journal,” said Orth Hedrick, vice president, planning & strategy, Kia Motors America. “The Niro represents years of hard work by Kia to provide a hybrid that is fun, versatile, economical and a pleasure to look at and drive. It’s immensely gratifying to all of us that the Niro is recognized by Green Car Journal as the 2018 Green SUV of the Year.”

“The Kia Niro impresses on many levels with its appealing style, functionality and features,” said Ron Cogan, editor and publisher of Green Car Journal and GreenCarJournal.com. “What’s equally important is its hybrid powertrain and affordable price point, a combination that makes the Niro accessible to a great many buyers who wish to drive with a smaller environmental footprint.”

courtesy: www.kianewscenter.com

Volvo Cars electrification strategy recognised by United Nations

Volvo Cars electrification strategy recognised by United Nations

Volvo Cars electrification strategy recognised by United Nations

Volvo Cars, the premium car maker, has been recognised by the United Nations for its ground-breaking electrification strategy in the latest report from the UN’s Global Compact, the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative.

The report, launched earlier this week at the Global Compact’s annual high-level meeting in New York, focuses on the progress that Global Compact members have made in supporting the delivery of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It highlights 10 chief executives that have taken particularly bold and disruptive action, including Volvo Cars’ president and chief executive, Håkan Samuelsson.

The Global Compact has also recognised Volvo Cars as a LEAD member, a group of the most committed, engaged and ambitious companies within the Global Compact. A founding member of the Global Compact, Volvo Cars is one of only 44 LEAD companies out of a total of 9,500 members – and one of only two car makers.

In the report, entitled ‘Business Solutions to Sustainable Development’, Håkan Samuelsson lays out the company’s reasoning behind the electrification strategy announced in July of this year.

“We’re doing this because we think this is the right future for Volvo Cars, and that it will make us stronger. It’s sound business,” says Mr. Samuelsson in the UNGC report.

With the announcement Volvo Cars became the first established car company to fully embrace electrification and place it at the core of its future business. From 2019 every Volvo car launched will have an electric motor, marking the historic end of cars that only have an internal combustion engine.

The electrification announcement was a watershed moment in the industry and Volvo Cars’ example has been followed since by other car makers who have made similar announcements.

As part of its strategy, Volvo Cars will launch five fully electric vehicles between 2019 and 2021. Three of these cars will be Volvo models and two will be Polestar performance cars. These cars will be supplemented by a range of plug in hybrid and mild hybrid options on all models, representing one of the broadest electrified car offerings of any car maker.

“Volvo Cars is leading the way and we can see now that the automotive industry is waking up to its responsibilities. We are proud to be a LEAD member of the UN Global Compact and of being acknowledged for our industry-leading commitment to an electric future,” said Stuart Templar, Director Sustainability at Volvo Cars.

The full UNGC report and the interview with Mr Samuelsson on Volvo Cars’ electrification strategy can be found here.

In May of this year, Volvo Cars hosted the bi-annual meeting of the UN Global Compact Nordic Network at its headquarters in Gothenburg. It represented one of the largest gatherings of Nordic corporate sustainability experts under the auspices of the United Nations.

courtesy: www.media.volvocars.com

New XC40 completes global Volvo line-up for fast-growing premium SUV segment

New XC40 completes global Volvo line-up for fast-growing premium SUV segment

New XC40 completes global Volvo line-up for fast-growing premium SUV segment

Volvo Cars, the premium car maker, today further expands its line-up of SUVs with the launch of its new XC40 small premium SUV in Milan, Italy.

At the same time as it introduces the XC40, Volvo Cars also reinvents the traditional model of car ownership with its new ‘Care by Volvo’ subscription service. Care by Volvo, first available on the XC40 from launch, makes having a car as transparent, easy and hassle free as having a phone.

A monthly flat-fee subscription means down payments, price negotiations and local price differences belong to the past. Depending on regional availability, Care by Volvo will also include access to a range of digital concierge services such as fuelling, cleaning, service pick-up and e-commerce delivery to the car. The XC40 with Care by Volvo is available to order online from today in selected markets.

XC40 drivers will also be the first Volvo customers who can share their car with friends and family via Volvo on Call with a new digital key technology. Car sharing comes as standard for Care by Volvo customers.

The arrival of the XC40 means that for the first time in its history, Volvo Cars has three new, globally available SUVs in what is the fastest growing segment of the automotive market, paving the way for further growth in terms of sales and profitability.

The new XC40 is the first model on Volvo Cars’ new modular vehicle architecture (CMA), which will underpin all other upcoming cars in the 40 Series including fully electrified vehicles. Co-developed within Geely, CMA provides the company with the necessary economies of scale for this segment.

“The XC40 is our first entry in the small SUV segment, broadening the appeal of the Volvo brand and moving it in a new direction,” said Håkan Samuelsson, president and chief executive. “It represents a fresh, creative and distinctive new member of the Volvo line-up. So it only feels natural to reveal the XC40 here in Milan, a buzzing European hotspot for fashion, art, design and lifestyle.”

In terms of technology, the XC40 brings the award-winning safety, connectivity and infotainment technologies known from the new 90- and 60 Series cars to the small SUV segment. Like its larger siblings, the XC40 highlights the transformational effect of these new, in-house developed technologies on brand and profitability.

These technologies make the XC40 one of the best-equipped small premium SUVs on the market. Safety and driver assistance features on the XC40 include Volvo Cars’ Pilot Assist system, City Safety, Run-off Road protection and mitigation, Cross Traffic alert with brake support and the 360° Camera that helps drivers manoeuvre their car into tight parking spaces.

The XC40 also offers a radically new approach to storage inside the car. Ingenious interior design provides XC40 drivers with, among other things, more functional storage space in the doors and under the seats, a special space for phones including inductive charging, a fold-out hook for small bags and a removable waste bin in the tunnel console.

From start of production, the XC40 will be available with a D4 diesel or a T5 petrol four-cylinder Drive-E powertrain. Further powertrain options, including a hybridised as well as a pure electric version, will be added later. The XC40 will also be the first Volvo model to be available with Volvo Cars’ new 3-cylinder engine.

Production of the new XC40 starts in Volvo Cars’ plant in Ghent, Belgium in November, while order books and the Care by Volvo subscription package are open for customers now.

courtesy: https://www.media.volvocars.com/global/en-gb/media/pressreleases/213100/new-xc40-completes-global-volvo-line-up-for-fast-growing-premium-suv-segment

Volvo Cars to go all electric

Volvo Cars to go all electric

Volvo Cars to go all electric

Volvo Cars, the premium car maker, has announced that every Volvo it launches from 2019 will have an electric motor, marking the historic end of cars that only have an internal combustion engine (ICE) and placing electrification at the core of its future business.

The announcement represents one of the most significant moves by any car maker to embrace electrification and highlights how over a century after the invention of the internal combustion engine electrification is paving the way for a new chapter in automotive history.

“This is about the customer,” said Håkan Samuelsson, president and chief executive. “People increasingly demand electrified cars and we want to respond to our customers’ current and future needs. You can now pick and choose whichever electrified Volvo you wish.”

Volvo Cars will introduce a portfolio of electrified cars across its model range, embracing fully electric cars, plug in hybrid cars and mild hybrid cars.

It will launch five fully electric cars between 2019 and 2021, three of which will be Volvo models and two of which will be high performance electrified cars from Polestar, Volvo Cars’ performance car arm. Full details of these models will be announced at a later date.

These five cars will be supplemented by a range of petrol and diesel plug in hybrid and mild hybrid 48 volt options on all models, representing one of the broadest electrified car offerings of any car maker.

This means that there will in future be no Volvo cars without an electric motor, as pure ICE cars are gradually phased out and replaced by ICE cars that are enhanced with electrified options.

“This announcement marks the end of the solely combustion engine-powered car,” said Mr Samuelsson. “Volvo Cars has stated that it plans to have sold a total of 1m electrified cars by 2025. When we said it we meant it. This is how we are going to do it.”

The announcement underlines Volvo Cars’ commitment to minimising its environmental impact and making the cities of the future cleaner. Volvo Cars is focused on reducing the carbon emissions of both its products as well as its operations. It aims to have climate neutral manufacturing operations by 2025.

The decision also follows this month’s announcement that Volvo Cars will turn Polestar into a new separately-branded electrified global high performance car company. Thomas Ingenlath, Senior Vice President Design at Volvo Cars, will lead Polestar as Chief Executive Officer.

courtesy: www.media.volvocars.com