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[VIDEO] Volvo’s New Digital Key Smartphone App Could Replace Physical Keys

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A limited number of 2017 Volvo vehicles will be available with a digital key smartphone app that would replace physical keys

Volvo’s new digital key technology could make ordering a rental car quite simple

If you buy a new Volvo vehicle in 2017, don’t automatically expect to be provided with a physical set of keys because the Swedish automotive brand plans on introducing new digital key technology starting next year.

 

Volvo will be introducing a digital key smartphone app in 2017, which would replace physical keys

Volvo’s new car key

Starting in 2017, consumers will be offered a smart phone app that will be able to lock and unlock doors, as well as start the engine and open the trunk. This new digital key technology is Bluetooth-enabled and Volvo customers will have the ability to receive multiple keys in order to operate different Volvo automobiles, depending on the situation.

Future Volvo car owners will also be able to send their digital key to friends and family members, so they can use the Volvo when the owner doesn’t need the vehicle. The new digital key technology will become available in 2017 on a limited number of commercial Volvo vehicles, but Volvo will begin using the digital key this spring for its car sharing firm Sunfleet, which is located at the Gothenburg airport in Sweden. Customers could use their smartphones to pay for a rental car and download its digital key, without having to stand in any lines or talk to any attendants at the car rental desk.

“At Volvo we are not interested in technology for the sake of technology. New technology has to make our customers’ lives easier and save them time. Mobility needs are evolving and so are our customers’ expectation to access cars in an uncomplicated way,” said Henrik Green, Vice President Product Strategy & Vehicle Line Management at Volvo Cars. “Our innovative digital key technology has the potential to completely change how a Volvo can be accessed and shared. Instead of sitting idle in a parking lot the entire day, cars could be used more often and efficiently by whoever the owner wishes.”

Volvo will still have physical keys available for consumers who request them.

Video: Volvo Replaces the Key with the Phone