Volvo Cars, the premium car maker, today announces the acquisition of the platform, technology, key staff and other assets of Luxe, a US based premium valet and concierge service. This acquisition provides Volvo Cars with a major boost in the development of digital services that simplify consumer experience.
The advanced software and technology platform as well as key data scientists, app developers and software engineers currently employed by Luxe will join Volvo’s digital organisation in Silicon Valley.
The Silicon Valley office provides an additional centre of gravity for Volvo Cars’ efforts in building digital products and services for its global business across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. For example, it was deeply involved in the development of a pilot program for on-demand refuelling for Volvo owners in San Francisco.
“Our vision is a future in which technology simplifies life so you never have to stop at a petrol station, go to a car wash or even take your car in for service ever again. The acquisition of Luxe is a step towards realising that ambition. I look forward to working closely with the highly talented team at Luxe who created its advanced technology from the ground up,” said Atif Rafiq, Chief Digital Officer at Volvo Cars.
The acquisition of the Luxe platform is expected to considerably accelerate Volvo Cars’ ability to offer digital customer experiences such as pick-up and drop-off services, adding a new level of convenience for Volvo owners. More specifically, the technology behind Luxe provides the company with advanced algorithms in the areas of routing, logistics planning and arrival time prediction.
“As more and more of our cars are connected, the availability of digital services becomes a critical part of the process of selecting a new car. Simplification of experience and placing control directly into the hands of the consumer is what today’s technologies enable, and what defines our vision in the digital space,” said Mr Rafiq.
Silicon Valley-based Luxe has operated previously in a select number of major US cities, including San Francisco, New York and Chicago. The service allowed drivers to drop off their car at any point in the city, where a professional valet took care of finding a secure parking spot, as well as fuelling and cleaning the car if the customer desired.
No financial details of the transaction will be disclosed.
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Volvo Car Group in 2016
Voor het boekjaar 2016 liet Volvo Car Group (Volvo Cars) een bedrijfswinst optekenen van 11 miljard SEK (EUR 1,2 miljard), tegenover 6,6 miljard SEK (EUR 697 miljoen) in 2015. De omzet voor dit boekjaar bedroeg 180,7 miljard SEK (EUR 19,1 miljard), tegenover 164,0 miljard SEK (EUR 17,3 miljard) in 2015. In 2016 verkocht Volvo Car Group wereldwijd 534.332 auto's, ofwel 6,2% meer dan in 2015. Deze recordcijfers qua omzet en bedrijfswinst betekenen dat Volvo Car Group kan blijven investeren in het wereldwijde transformatieplan.
Over Volvo Car Group
Volvo is actief sinds 1927. Vandaag is Volvo Cars een van de bekendste en meest gerespecteerde automerken ter wereld. In 2016 werden 534.332 Volvo's verkocht in ongeveer 100 landen. Sinds 2010 is Volvo Cars eigendom van Zhejiang Geely Holding (Geely Holding) uit China. Het bedrijf maakte deel uit van de Zweeds Volvo Group tot 1999, wanneer het werd gekocht door het Amerikaanse Ford Motor Company. In 2010 werd Volvo Cars uiteindelijk overgenomen door Geely Holding.
In december 2016 stelde Volvo Cars wereldwijd meer dan 31.000 medewerkers tewerk. De hoofdzetel, productontwikkeling, marketing en administratie van Volvo Cars zijn grotendeels gevestigd in Göteborg, Zweden. Het hoofdkantoor van Volvo Cars voor China is gevestigd in Shanghai. De grootste autofabrieken van het bedrijf zijn gevestigd in Göteborg (Zweden), Gent (België) en Chengdu (China), terwijl de motoren worden gemaakt in Skövde (Zweden) en Zhangjiakou (China) en de carrosserie-onderdelen in Olofström (Zweden).
