Volvo is counting on its On Call service to draw tech-savvy buyers to the brand.

In an effort to impress tech-savvy young consumers, carmakers are using trendy apps to help chase away the auto industry’s lingering image as a low tech industry peddling archaic products.

Volvo Cars, which is the midst of a major push into the U.S. market with the launch of the 2016 XC90, plans to release an updated version of its Volvo On Call smart app that will connect with wearables, such as the Apple Watch and Android Wear.

This new app will allow Volvo drivers with the Volvo On Call app to control settings, lock/unlock, locate and utilize many other Volvo services from their wrist.

“Volvo On Call is an app that allows you to literally take control over everyday elements in your Volvo,” explains David Holecek, director, Connected Products and Services at Volvo Cars. “You can set heater timings for those cold and frosty mornings or cool down your car in hot weather, check your fuel level and mileage, or time to next service. It even helps you to locate your car in a crowded parking garage.”

Volvo On Call’s new functionality includes wearable connectivity for devices such as the Apple Watch, a full iPad user interface, Android Wear and a unified Windows Phone app with voice control through Cortana, an intelligent assistant system, amongst others. The update, which will also see the addition of enhanced “send-to-car” capabilities for navigation purposes, is due to be released end of June.

In addition, the Volvo On Call app has received a brand new design based on Volvo Cars’ celebrated Sensus driver interface in the new Volvo XC90.

(Volvo building $500 million plant in South Carolina. For more, Click Here.)

Launched in 2001, Volvo On Call became one of the first car-based telematics systems in the world, providing safety, security and tracking services in the car in case of accident, breakdown or theft using a car-installed SIM card.

The system provides the original safety functions – activated when the car’s airbags are deployed, or when the driver needs assistance, putting them in direct contact with a Volvo On Call operator, who, using GPS technology, can direct emergency services to the scene of the incident.

(Click Here for details about the XC90 Lounge concept.)

The application also now includes convenience features, such as remote locking, fuel level indicators, find my car and remote locking on top of the leading safety and security services that it was originally launched to deliver.

“In only a few years we have moved from a safety and security related in-car feature to a solution that allows the driver to stay connected with their car and provides many new benefits to support their everyday requirements,” concluded Sofia Wessman, manager, Volvo On Call at Volvo Cars.

(To see more about Apple dropping hints about its future in the car industry, Click Here.)

Volvo On Call is now available in 21 markets and there are currently about 230,000 active subscribers globally.

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