At Automobility LA from November 26-29 (which is what the press and trade days of this year’s LA Auto Show are being called), Volvo Cars has said it will not be displaying a single vehicle.
It will instead be demonstrating its vision of what a car actually is or rather, what it can be.
Volvo says that because it sees the definition of personal transportation changing, the concept of a new car being revealed on a rotating stage is no longer seen as the centrepiece of such events.
According to Volvo, how consumers experience a car brand is today more important than chrome, leather seating or engine output. As a result, the Volvo stand, at Automobility LA will feature a central space where, instead of a vehicle, attendees can witness the statement: ‘This Is Not A Car’.
“By calling the trade show Automobility LA, the organisers have recognised the disruption affecting our industry,” said Mårten Levenstam, responsible for product strategy at Volvo Cars. “We want to demonstrate that we got the memo and start a conversation about the future of automobility. So instead of bringing a concept car, we talk about the concept of a car. We will not win the ‘car of the show’ award this year, but we are comfortable with that. Because this is not a car show.”
In addition to this powerful statement, Volvo Cars will show a number of interactive demonstrations of connectivity services, such as in-car delivery, car sharing, its vision for autonomous driving as displayed in the Volvo 360c concept and the car subscription service Care by Volvo.
“Our industry is changing. Rather than just building and selling cars, we will really provide our customers with the freedom to move in a personal, sustainable and safe way,” said Håkan Samuelsson, Chief Executive of Volvo Cars. “We offer our customers access to a car, including new attractive services whenever and wherever they want it.”
Volvo Cars has been working to foster strategic partnerships with established tech companies like Amazon, Google and Nvidia, as well as with technology startups like Luminar and Zenuity. The aim is to generate innovative ideas and solutions for the future of mobility.
