Care By Volvo subscription deliveries ramping up?
After a few hiccups, Volvo says its innovative subscription program is finally starting deliveries. S60 and V60 models are coming, too.
Care By Volvo, the new subscription program from Swedish automaker Volvo, has met with considerable interest from Roadshow readers. One of the latest such offerings in a wave of buying programs offering alternatives to traditional purchase and leasing agreements, Care By Volvo was revealed in late 2017 alongside the 2019 XC40.
Fittingly, the XC40 is the first model to be offered through the program, and separately, the compact SUV is doing well at dealers, with Volvo reporting the crossover remains in short supply amid high early demand. (In fact, Volvo has just announced it's expanding XC40 production).
However, Care By Volvo, which bundles vehicle, insurance, basic maintenance, concierge services and wear-and-tear costs into one payment, appears to have stumbled out of the gate. Roadshow has heard from several readers who have signed up for Care By Volvo, only to be left waiting for vehicles. Numerous online forum threads recount similar tales of frustration. (Care By Volvo deliveries were always earmarked to start in the spring, but inconsistent communication between Volvo and plan signees seems to be at least partially to blame for the disgruntlement).
However, things may turning the corner. Volvo spokesperson Jim Nichols tells Roadshow, "The first round of paperwork has gone out to several customers and we are on track to deliver the first Care by Volvo cars before month [May] end." Volvo has been offering "temporary transportation" to existing lease customers who are transitioning to the new subscription plan.
Volvo did not immediately reply to a Roadshow query on how many subscribers have signed up for Care By Volvo, how many XC40 have been delivered under the program, or how many participants are still waiting for their new vehicles.
Volvo may still be working out the kinks in its subscription program, but it doesn't appear to be slowing the plan's rollout. According to Nichols, "The new V60 and S60 will be available via Care by Volvo in the United States. We will have more information on that soon."
While Volvo's forthcoming V60 midsize wagon (shown above) has been unveiled, its next-generation S60 sedan has not. The model is slated to be revealed at the company's new South Carolina plant this summer.
The availability of additional new models should be welcome news to Care By Volvo subscribers -- program participants sign up for a 24-month term, but the plan allows for participants to change vehicles after just 12 months. The advent of new models on the program, such as the S60 and V60, means that subscribers will soon have more options if they want to trade out of their XC40.
For more information on Care By Volvo and other automaker subscription programs, be sure to check out Roadshow's primer: