Skip to main content

Volvo will be at the 2018 Los Angeles Auto Show, but it won’t bring any cars

Volvo Cars at Automobility LA - This is not a car
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Volvo makes some pretty nice cars, but it isn’t bringing any of them to the 2018 Los Angeles Auto Show.

The Swedish automaker has declared that it will unveil “nothing” in L.A. Instead of rolling out the latest production model or a fanciful concept car, Volvo hopes to shift the focus from the vehicles themselves to mobility services like carsharing, in-car delivery, and subscription services. Volvo will still have a stand at the show, but the automaker promises there won’t be a single car in sight — just the message “This is not a car.”

Recommended Videos

“We thought the time was right to really focus on the big changes going on in our industry,” Mårten Levenstram, product strategy boss at Volvo Cars, told Digital Trends in a phone interview. The automaker plans to use the show as a forum to discuss its partnerships with tech companies and the different services that might spring from them, as well as specific technologies like autonomous driving, Levenstram said.

Volvo (along with General Motors) currently supports Amazon Key in-car delivery, in which packages are left in the trunks of cars while the owners are away. It’s pitched as a more convenient alternative to home delivery. Volvo will also lean heavily on Google for the development of its future infotainment systems, and will make features like Google Assistant available even to drivers who don’t have Android phones.

Google and Amazon are powerful brands in their own right, especially at a time when people are more likely to get emotionally invested in their phones than their cars. But Levenstram isn’t concerned that tech companies will overshadow Volvo in its various partnerships.

“I don’t think it’s either or. It’s a combination of Volvo and Amazon that makes it work,” Levenstram said, referencing the in-car delivery service. “We’re not competing with Amazon.” Volvo knows cars (and even once made one called Amazon), after all, and none of these planned services or tech features would exist without them.

“The car will still be important, but it will be used in different ways,” Levenstram said.

Volvo is also experimenting with different ways for customers to access its cars. It recently launched a sub-brand called M tasked with developing an app-based carsharing service, as well as Care by Volvo, a subscription service that lets customers put a new Volvo in their driveways for a flat monthly fee — without having to haggle at a dealership. Volvo expects the rise of self-driving cars, as demonstrated by its recent 360c concept, to further erode the traditional concept of ownership.

The choice of L.A. for Volvo’s car-free manifesto was not an accident. The show was officially rebranded as Automobility L.A. in 2016 and is now styled by organizers as both a tech conference and an auto show. Levenstram noted that the show gives Volvo access to the tech companies it partners with and hopes to partner with. Many of Volvo’s employees working in tech fields are also based in California, Levenstram said. He hopes getting all of these people together in one place will yield some valuable discussions about the direction of the auto industry.

“We think it’s important to discuss the changes, rather than just let them happen,” he said.

Stephen Edelstein
Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…
I tried an e-bike for the first time and now I’m hooked
It’s not about being a 'bike person', it’s about finding small upgrades to everyday life
A woman sitting on the Aventon Pace 4

Before this year, I’d never even touched an e-bike before, and the thought of riding one was never on my radar. With life already in constant motion thanks to two toddlers, biking wasn’t something I ever considered adding to the mix.

I’d always assumed e-bikes were for hardcore commuters or serious cyclists, not someone like me. I wasn’t looking for a big lifestyle change. I just wanted a quicker way to get to the park so we’d have more time to play before dinner.

Read more
This week in EV tech: Audi exemplifies auto industry’s EV holding pattern
Close-up of 2025 Audi SQ5 grille, headlight, and badge.

The road to the future runs through the present, and it’s not a straight line. This week, we’re focusing on how Audi is negotiating the twists and turns on the way to an electrified future. EVs are here to stay at Audi, but a gasoline crossover SUV is still the automaker’s bestselling model, and it’s not ready to risk those sales just yet. That’s why the 2025 Audi Q5 received a top-to-bottom overhaul for this model year, bringing its tech features and styling up to date without altering the what has proven to be a very popular package. By maintaining parallel lineups of electric and internal-combustion cars, Audi hopes to give customers more choices. But that doesn’t completely level the playing field. The new Q5 may have yesterday’s powertrain, but Audi isn’t holding back on tech. It features the same electrical architecture, operating system, and three-screen dashboard display as the latest Audi EVs, like the Q6 e-tron. So aside from a little engine noise, there’s little difference in what you can see and interact with from the driver’s seat. It’s not just the infotainment systems. The Q5 and Q6 e-tron are close in size, with similar space for passengers across their two rows of seats. The Q6 e-tron has a bit more cargo space, but not as much as you’d think given the lack of a bulky engine, transmission, and driveshafts. The two SUVs also have similar styling but, having now driven both, we can say that the Q5 is the more pleasant of the two.

More than a difference of powertrain tech

Read more
Take a peek inside the factory making tomorrow’s ride
A Zoox robotaxi.

Amazon-owned Zoox has opened its first facility producing fully autonomous robotaxis. 

A video (above) released by the California-based company offers a peek inside the factory, which, when it reaches full capacity, could roll out as many as 10,000 autonomous vehicles per year.

Read more