Volvo has confirmed that it will be attending the Automobility LA show at the end of the month, but has said that it won’t be displaying any cars at all.
You would expect cars to be the centrepiece of a manufacturer’s stand at a motor show, but Volvo will instead be ‘redefining what a car can be’.
The brand’s stand will instead be used for interactive demonstrations of connectivity services and the future of motoring, including in-car delivery, car sharing, autonomous driving as shown in its 360c concept and the Care by Volvo service.
Also, where you would expect a car to be, Volvo will instead have sculpture stating ‘This Is Not A Car’.
Volvo senior vice president for product strategy and business Mårten Levenstam, said: “By calling the trade show Automobility LA, the organisers have recognised the disruption affecting our industry.
“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.”
Håkan Samuelsson, Volvo Cars chief executive, said: “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.
“We offer our customers access to a car, including new attractive services whenever and wherever they want it.”
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