I am not a car guy

I am not a car guy.

There I said it.

I know I’m making it sound like I’ve dropped the mic, but I have barely started writing and you’ve hardly started reading. It just feels cool writing that.

But having spent time at Volvo Cars, I have changed. Not because I’ve test-driven and gone from 0-100 in 3 seconds, but because I’ve seen how you “make it happen”. How it all comes together. And what I see now is a tech product, its use case, and how it solves a problem. So, if you know me, I’d wear that product hat all day long! ??

I’ve wanted to write something about Volvo Cars, my experience, and all things we have been doing for a very long time. And I wanted it to be loud. About electrification, about being a tech company, gloriously written with a lot of unapologetic chest-thumping. So naturally, I started with making notes. Notes on my phone, bookmarks on my laptop, voice notes when I could think of a catchy phrase yada yada yada and I did that for 3 months straight!

It didn’t work. It made no sense. Whenever I tried connecting the dots it read cheesy and shallow. Nothing “real” about it, even though they were factual.

I didn’t have a Eureka moment, but gradually it became clear.

If I said “purpose” would that make sense to you?

Take a moment. Just think of that word again, “purpose”. It’s a great word – gets you straight to the point.

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Let’s zoom out a bit and dive into this.

If it’s a lot to digest, let me summarize it for you. Mere electrification isn’t enough. The company doesn’t intend to hide behind its electric cars and pretend to dust its hands off like the job is done. To really benefit from BEV you also want the electricity that fuels the vehicles to be clean or else it’s almost cosmetic. Now tell me, why should a car manufacturer take such an approach? Like why bother, let’s just presume no one gets to know these facts. But that is Volvo Cars, an identity of ours that puts what matters first with honesty. Sometimes it is easy to identify the right thing, but it takes a certain amount of boldness to put it into action. I can’t help but highlight an interesting feature of the new C40 recharge here. This car and all new fully electric models will be completely leather-free, an ethical stand taken in light of Volvo’s decision in becoming a circular business by the year 2040. Somehow, most of us have always attributed leather to luxury, and like a bad hangover, we have never managed to get out of it. What’s replacing leather here is recycled bio-based content. In a sense, this is about shifting mindsets. It is redefining premium, or like saying luxury is about being conscious.

This strong sense of purpose comes not just because Volvo has a wonderful heritage, but because there is a culture of openness, innovation, and human-centric philosophy. A culture of taking a bold step towards change, embracing it, and sticking by it.

Perhaps this culture paved the way for several firsts. Innovations such as the Side Impact Protection Systems, WHIPS, rear-facing child seats to pioneering the three-point safety belt and most notably for not patenting it. This approach even includes 40 years of safety research contributions now made public thanks to the Equal Vehicles for All initiative. I see this guiding philosophy very alive today and not just inside the car but also in work policies such as the “Family Bond”

In its current journey, we are riding a colossal wave of transformation within the automotive industry. The narrative is led by electrification, software, autonomous driving, and consumer behavior. If I could push aside electrification, the big changes are happening within software – the common thread that weaves the latter two together and the reason why Volvo has come to call itself a software-driven company.

Along with the ongoing digital transformation, we are bringing software development in-house. This means a software-defined car with in-house built software running on our core computing system. Broken down into three main computers this is a big shift from a typical Volvo car that runs on 180 different computers. Together they support each other in vision processing and AI, general computing, and infotainment. Additionally, cloud connectivity will complement functionality and processing capabilities. With over-the-air updates, think about a car that upgrades itself. With every passing day, you have a new, better car. Hence, the talking point is no longer just about the mechatronic features in a car but about the kind of software, its quality, and robustness that differentiates it. We are not alone in this journey, we have teamed up with some great partners to enable us to achieve the best in class – these include Google, Nvidia, Luminar, and other industry leaders.

Autonomous driving is the next big leap in the future of this industry. As a recruiter dedicated to this space, I am super excited to see the work we are doing putting accountability, safety, and our vision of zero collisions first.

The other game-changer is the direct-to-consumer sales model. With the advent of e-commerce, the convenience of online shopping and digital experience has been undeniable. We envision a future where all future electric car ranges will be sold exclusively through online channels, an evolution in our business model. The success we have seen in DTC sales in UK and Care by Volvo subscription model is only the beginning.

As you can imagine, we are ramping up our digital infrastructure and the work is huge! Think about owning that customer experience with a million-plus consumers for starters.

Volvo Cars are positioning itself as the fastest transformer in the automotive industry. Now I see that as blurring the lines of what it means to be an automotive company, a mobility company, a consumertech and a software driven company. With so many neologisms in the industry from fintech, proptech, femtech, insuretech etc – for those who coin these terms, please take note ??

The thing is we can’t pretend we are a startup. We are cognizant of our size and legacy. But that is the beauty in it. It’s in recognizing these challenges and pushing ahead. When I walk through our main lobby at our HQ in Torslanda, I can sense a calmness. It is a calmness where everyone in one way recognizes their purpose. Perhaps that purpose can be found in the Swedish word Omtanke, roughly translated to thoughtfulness or for everyone’s good.

At least for me, I find satisfaction and meaning in that. I find purpose in knowing that.

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To learn more about this transformation, please read or watch the following references (not a definitive list)

https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/2021/06/30/nvidia-volvo-cars-software-defined-future/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/samabuelsamid/2021/06/24/next-gen-electric-volvo-flagship-to-feature-luminar-iris-lidar-as-standard-equipment/

https://www.media.volvocars.com/global/en-gb/media/pressreleases/292935/volvo-cars-first-to-launch-direct-integration-with-google-assistant-enabled-devices

https://www.media.volvocars.com/global/en-gb/media/pressreleases/286448/volvo-cars-to-go-leather-free-in-all-pure-electric-cars-as-part-of-animal-welfare-ambitions

https://www.media.volvocars.com/global/en-gb/media/pressreleases/283443/next-generation-pure-electric-volvo-comes-with-lidar-technology-and-ai-driven-super-computer-as-stan

https://www.media.volvocars.com/global/en-gb/media/pressreleases/281655/volvo-cars-torslanda-becomes-companys-first-climate-neutral-car-plant

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