Volvo trials service that delivers online orders to shoppers' cars

The service will enable courier companies to use digital keys that will lock and unlock cars for a controlled period of time.

Car owners will be able to track when their vehicle has been opened and locked via their smartphone or tablet. The system has been designed around Volvo’s On Call app, which lets owners check metrics such as fuel levels and car temperature remotely.

The car manufacturer believes the new system – which was showcased at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona – will help to alleviate missed first-time deliveries, which Volvo says costs the courier industry €1bn.

Volvo’s Group chief information officer Klas Bendrik said: “By turning the car into a pickup and drop-off zone through using digital keys, it’s now possible to deliver the goods to persons and not to places.”