Volvo Cars Launches New Brand

Volvo Cars has launched M, a new brand that expands the company’s global mobility operations by providing on-demand access to cars and services through a new app, according to the carmaker.

M will learn about its user’s needs, preferences and habits, personalizing the customer relationship. It will debut in Sweden and the U.S. next spring.

“Volvo Cars is becoming more than just a car company. We recognize that urban consumers are rethinking traditional car ownership. M is part of our answer. We are evolving to become a direct-to-consumer services provider under our new mission ‘Freedom to Move’,” said Håkan Samuelsson, Volvo Cars president and chief executive.

M is developing proprietary learning technology that asks users about their specific needs instead of merely informing them where they can pick up a car, according to Volvo.

“The services currently available mainly offer alternatives to a taxi or public transit,” said Bodil Eriksson, CEO of Volvo Car Mobility. “We’re focused on the way people use the cars they own, which sets us apart. We aim to provide a real alternative to that experience. It should enable us to live life on our terms, getting things done and maximizing precious time. We see the opportunity to offer a premium experience.'”

M draws on 20 years of learnings and data from Sunfleet, Volvo Car Group’s car-sharing pioneer. Sunfleet is the leading car sharing company in Sweden with 500,000 annual transactions and a fleet of 1,700 cars. It will be fully integrated into M in 2019, making the service available to all existing Sunfleet members.

“Mobility is undergoing a fundamental transformation and Volvo Cars is leading that change. The launch of M creates new sources of revenue for Volvo Cars and will be integral to the company’s ambition to build more than 5 million direct consumer relationships by the middle of the next decade,” Samuelsson said.

Further information about the M service will be released later this year.