<p>Swedish auto maker Volvo said today it was developing a system to enable online shopping deliveries direct to customers' cars rather than their homes.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The company said it had created a single-use digital key which postal or delivery services can use to locate a vehicle and open it.<br /><br />The system "will allow consumers to have shopping delivered straight to their car, no matter where they are", the company said in a statement.<br /><br />"Via a smartphone or a tablet, the owner will be informed when a delivery company wants to drop off or pick up something from the car," they added.<br /><br />The owner of the car then accepts the delivery and can track when the car is opened.<br /><br />The technology would provide a solution for people who are on the move and need to receive deliveries away from their home or office.<br /><br />The company said failed deliveries cost courier companies around USD 1.37 billion in re-delivery costs each year.<br /><br />"The technology was trialled during a pilot programme of 100 people, 86 per cent of which agreed that 'roam delivery' saved them time," Volvo said.<br /><br />"The future car will be much more than just a means of transportation."<br /><br />The company will present the new technology at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on February 24-25, but has not set a launch date for clients.<br /><br />"We are in talks with different partners," innovation manager Johan Maresch said.<br /><br />Chinese-owned Volvo is attempting to move into the high-end auto segment, to join brands such as Audi or BMW, as well as position itself as one of the most innovative in the market.<br /><br />It has promised to put the first self-driving cars on Swedish roads in 2017 and pledged that nobody will be injured on the road in Volvo cars from 2020.</p>
<p>Swedish auto maker Volvo said today it was developing a system to enable online shopping deliveries direct to customers' cars rather than their homes.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The company said it had created a single-use digital key which postal or delivery services can use to locate a vehicle and open it.<br /><br />The system "will allow consumers to have shopping delivered straight to their car, no matter where they are", the company said in a statement.<br /><br />"Via a smartphone or a tablet, the owner will be informed when a delivery company wants to drop off or pick up something from the car," they added.<br /><br />The owner of the car then accepts the delivery and can track when the car is opened.<br /><br />The technology would provide a solution for people who are on the move and need to receive deliveries away from their home or office.<br /><br />The company said failed deliveries cost courier companies around USD 1.37 billion in re-delivery costs each year.<br /><br />"The technology was trialled during a pilot programme of 100 people, 86 per cent of which agreed that 'roam delivery' saved them time," Volvo said.<br /><br />"The future car will be much more than just a means of transportation."<br /><br />The company will present the new technology at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on February 24-25, but has not set a launch date for clients.<br /><br />"We are in talks with different partners," innovation manager Johan Maresch said.<br /><br />Chinese-owned Volvo is attempting to move into the high-end auto segment, to join brands such as Audi or BMW, as well as position itself as one of the most innovative in the market.<br /><br />It has promised to put the first self-driving cars on Swedish roads in 2017 and pledged that nobody will be injured on the road in Volvo cars from 2020.</p>