Volvo Car UK Ltd continued its open dialogue with the insurance sector on Tuesday 14 February when it hosted its Volvo Product Awareness / Technology Insurer Event at its Training and Development Centre in Daventry. ARC360/ILC – sporting red, along with many others, to support Rainbow Trust on ILC Day – was on hand to capture insights from the day.
Lee Berrell, Aftersales Delivery Manager, Volvo Car UK Ltd set the scene for the day by emphasising Volvo’s commitment to safety within the aftermarket: “The aim is to keep Volvo vehicles 100% Volvo because we want to know how they will behave in the event of an accident. Volvo Cars has been a leader in the field of car safety for decades. That will never change.”
Lee highlighted how Volvo, now under the Geely umbrella which includes brands such as Polestar, Lotus and Smart, is working closely with its fellow brands to share advances in design, technology and safety. One particular area that continues to innovate is electric powertrain development, although Lee stated: “Without doubt battery electric vehicle (BEV) is coming, but for the foreseeable future Volvo will continue to take a blended approach when it comes to repairs.”
‘I roll’
Reiterating Lee’s opening remarks, Mike O’Neill, Senior Product Trainer, provided an insight into how Volvo – Latin for ‘I roll’ – was founded by Assar Gabrielsson and Gustaf Larson in 1927, with the intention of making a car that put quality and safety first. Since this time – and with innovations over the years such as the three-point seatbelt, booster seats, side impact airbags and inflatable curtain airbags – Volvo has saved in excess of one million lives.
Asked if hydrogen propulsion was a development to look out for from Volvo, Mike said that like most manufacturers the business was keeping a keen eye on developments, but electric power remained the way forward for now.
Leading the way in EV development and the cross pollination of technology is Polestar – Volvo’s sister, all-electric, performance brand – which now has over 13,000 vehicles on UK’s roads, supported by 100 Volvo retailers and 67 approved repairers. With three new models in the pipeline before 2025, it’s a brand that is gaining significant traction in a highly competitive market.
Three pillars
“Safety, sustainability and technology are our three key pillars moving ahead with the likes of the Volvo EX90,” said Mike. Built on a new SPA2 platform – EV powertrain compatible only – the EX90 seven-seat SUV offers a range of circa 363 miles and will feature Lidar systems as standard, interior occupant sensing and bi-directional charging offering the potential to power the home, store power or return it to the grid. Structurally, the vehicle will also feature ‘mega-castings’ significantly reducing the number of parts with a one-piece aluminium casting. It will also boast 18% recycled plastic components, taking Volvo a step closer to its target of 25% by 2025.
Providing further insight into Volvo’s current PHEV product line-up, including a technical discussion around battery management, Lead Technical & Product Trainer Gary Tacey explained how Volvo’s VIDA – Vehicle Information and Diagnostics for Aftersales – was the key to safe and effective repair.
Gary said, “Detail in repair is key. VIDA provides trained technicians with the precise information they need, when they need it and its use is something we ingrain from the outset with our apprentices.
“Guided safety system identification, diagnosis and calibration is just one of the areas VIDA enables our approved repairer network and retailers to satisfy.”
Integral to this 100% Volvo-centric approach, Volvo retailers are now fully trained in windscreen repair and replacement, while leather repair and SMART are also coming soon.
Repair network
The Volvo Car UK Ltd repair network now boasts 72 approved repairers, circa 90% of which are aligned to a retailer. Some 7,000 repairs went through the network in 2022 with 2023 set to surpass this number by some margin.
Phil Powles, Volvo Body & Paint Programme Business Development Manager, said, “We have recently revised and updated the standards throughout the network which require one EV technician as well as one apprentice per facility. Behind all this sits MONITRR – our centralised auditing system – which is in place to ensure we continuously deliver on our promises.”
An area that the business is keen to promote further moving ahead is its Borderline vehicle write off avoidance programme, which in 2022 offered 65 cases of support to the value of £65,000. Over 88% of the vehicles that came through the programme were saved. For 2023, the business is keen to ensure it helps even more Volvo customers have their vehicles returned to the road.
Grow your own
Rounding out the day, Stuart Hickling, Programme Manager – Volvo Car UK Ltd, Apprenticeship Programme at Calex UK, reiterated the need for the industry as a whole to embrace apprenticeships and bring new people into the sector for the benefit of all.
“As an industry, we have got to start growing our own,” said Stuart, “Financially it’s a no-brainer – the key element is the mentoring and coaching which takes time. As an industry, we need to work together to ensure we find that time.”
