Volvo Cars today launches its new Volvo Valet maintenance pick-up and delivery service across selected European markets, including the UK, following its successful introduction in the United States.
Reflecting the realities of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the premium Volvo Valet service offers customers a safe and contact-free option to have their car serviced or repaired, from the safety and comfort of their own home.
The Volvo Valet service is simple and convenient. After customers contact their retailer for an appointment, the car is picked up from their home on the agreed date, serviced and returned.
The Volvo Valet service also includes a special app, developed by Volvo Cars' software engineers at its Silicon Valley office, in which customers can track the whereabouts of their car in real time and are kept up to date with notifications about the progress of the servicing process.
The first market in Europe to introduce Volvo Valet is the UK, where the service has already been trialled for a number of weeks. Other major markets to offer the service include Germany, Belgium, France, Spain and Switzerland.
“With the Volvo Valet service, we give customers the flexibility and convenience that they need in these challenging times,” said Björn Annwall, head of EMEA at Volvo Cars. “It is a great example of how at Volvo, we always put people’s wellbeing and safety at the centre of everything we do.”
Kristian Elvefors, Volvo Car UK’s Managing Director, said: “Having trialled the service with a number of our retailers for several weeks, we are very pleased to be now introducing Volvo Valet across the UK.
“Along with our market-leading online sales platform and contactless car delivery service, this is another example of how we are adapting quickly to make our customers’ lives safer and easier.”
The Volvo Valet service was first introduced in the United States earlier this year, and has been a resounding success among participating retailers as Volvo Cars seeks to help customers navigate the effects of the ongoing pandemic.
In China, a similar premium valet service for car maintenance is offered to Volvo customers via WeChat, the popular mobile platform used for a range of different services by Chinese consumers.
The news comes as Volvo Car UK continues to take actions to keep it customers safe during the coronavirus pandemic, improving its online buying experience for new and used cars, prolonging service intervals to delay non-essential work, and applying social distancing measures that protect those with urgent repair and maintenance needs.
Its online buying service, part of the Stay Home Store concept rolled out across Europe, was recently upgraded with a new live chat function for an even more personalised and convenient experience.
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Volvo Car Group in 2019
For the 2019 financial year, Volvo Car Group recorded an operating profit of 14.3 BSEK (14.2 BSEK in 2018). Revenue over the period amounted to 274.1 BSEK (252.7 BSEK). For the full year 2019, global sales reached a record 705,452 (642,253) cars, an increase of 9.8 per cent versus 2018. The results underline the comprehensive transformation of Volvo Cars’ finances and operations in recent years, positioning the company for its next growth phase.
About Volvo Car Group
Volvo Cars was founded in 1927. Today, it is one of the most well-known and respected premium car brands in the world with sales of 705,452 cars in 2019 in about 100 countries. Volvo Cars has been under the ownership of the Zhejiang Geely Holding since 2010.
In 2019, Volvo Cars employed on average approximately 41,500 (41,500) full-time employees. Volvo Cars head office, product development, marketing and administration functions are mainly located in Gothenburg, Sweden. Volvo Cars head office for APAC is located in Shanghai. The company’s main car production plants are located in Gothenburg (Sweden), Ghent (Belgium), South Carolina (US), Chengdu and Daqing (China), while engines are manufactured in Skövde (Sweden) and Zhangjiakou (China) and body components in Olofström (Sweden).
Under its new company purpose, Volvo Cars aims to provide customers with the Freedom to Move in a personal, sustainable and safe way. This purpose is reflected into a number of business ambitions: for example, by the middle of this decade it aims for half of its global sales to be fully electric cars and to establish five million direct consumer relationships. Volvo Cars is also committed to an ongoing reduction of its carbon footprint, with the ambition to be a climate-neutral company by 2040.
