Volvo Car Malaysia adds extra year of Connect Plus services

In many cars today, the infotainment systems come with a built-in connection (e-sim) to the internet, allowing almost the same connectivity as a smartphone. Many infotainment systems now also come with Android Auto/Apple CarPlay which connect the smartphone to the infotainment system and use the smartphone’s cellular account.

However, the built-in connectivity may be subject to a certain time period, after which it expires and the owner has to renew the package. While the basic services will remain available, certain services such as built-in navigation may no longer be provided if the connection is not renewed.

Different brands have different policies
Different brands have different policies and some may not require owners to renew to continue having the connectivity. BMW Malaysia, for example, has no expiry on its connectivity which can also follow the car to the next owner. Some companies may offer extended data packages as part of a promotional package.

Some people may choose to renew (the charge can be quite high with some brands which have the service provider outside Malaysia) but with Android Auto/Apple CarPlay being available, many may choose to just use their smartphone connection which they are already paying for every month anyway.

When the first generation of Google built-in Volvo cars were offered in Malaysia, customers were entitled to 4 years of complimentary data connectivity. This offer has since been increased to five years from the introduction of 2024 model year cars.

Rewarding early customers
To reward the first wave of customers, Volvo Car Malaysia will now extend complimentary Volvo Car Connect Plus services by another year to bring the offer in line with the latest models. This extension will happen automatically and does not require a software update or SIM card replacement.

Previously known as Digital Services, Volvo Car Connect Plus is the data connectivity package offered alongside the latest generation of Google built-in Volvo cars, enabling cable-free media streaming, over-the-air OTA (over-the-air)  updates, and seamless integration with Google’s software services such as Google Assistant, Google Maps, and Google Play Store.

Owners of model year 2022 and 2023 cars built on the brand’s Compact Modular Architecture and first-generation Scalable Product Architecture platforms will be entitled to free data subscription for an additional year when their current package expires.

Connect Plus is transferable
Volvo Car Connect Plus subscriptions are connected to the vehicle, not the owner. Thus, if the car gets a new owner, any remaining validity period and data quota of the subscription will be transferred to the new owner of the car, benefitting resale value.

“The generous allocation of complimentary Volvo Car Connect Plus is our way of thanking our customers for their loyalty by letting them fully experience the benefits of our Google built-in cars, such as simply saying ‘Hey Google’ when they want to navigate to a destination or change air conditioning settings – all without being distracted from the road ahead,” said Sun Qian, Head of APeC commercial Offer & Thailand/Malaysia Total Offer.

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