Volkswagen has announced that its We Deliver car-boot delivery service will be introduced in 2020 for UK customers. The new service will allow users to register their VW vehicle as a delivery location for a parcel or service, with the courier being granted one-off access to the vehicle.
Promising to “spell an end to missed deliveries”, the service is already being trialled with 300 customers in Germany, ahead of its full launch. The announcement comes following a period of recruitment by VW for UK partners of the scheme.
Eliminate costs
According to the manufacturer, partners of the We Deliver service “will benefit from customers being able to have deliveries sent to, and items collected from, their vehicle”. This it says “eliminates the cost and inconvenience of couriers having to reattempt delivery, while customers avoid the frustration of delayed receipt of their goods”.
Security
Naturally a service of this nature raises security potential concerns, however, fleet decision makers or company car drivers interested in the service will be reassured to know that security was “high on the list of priorities when developing this service”. To address this, the car’s location will be available to the courier for a limited amount of time, delivery details are traceable to specific individual couriers, and only the opening/closing functions of the car are accessible to them.
Additionally, only the owner’s parcel can be delivered to the We Deliver-enabled car, so that users don’t have “the inconvenience of taking in others’ missed deliveries”. If for any reason the delivery is deemed “unviable” on the day for any reason – for example, there’s not enough room in the boot – then the courier will default to delivering to the user’s alternative address.
Connectivity
Claire McGreal, brand strategy and mobility services manager, Volkswagen UK, said: “We Deliver is the perfect example of how the latest connectivity technology can change people’s lives for the better, in areas that you wouldn’t normally associate with a car. This starts with eliminating the irritation of missed deliveries. It doesn’t stop there though – We Deliver can be used for other functions too, like the collection and subsequent dropping-off of dry cleaning, the return of parcels as well as their delivery, and other such conveniences.”
Andrew Savvas, managing director of Volkswagen UK, said: “Even though most of us keep them close by, our cars aren’t in use the majority of the time. We Deliver adds another useful function to the vehicle when it is not actually being driven. It’s another example of Volkswagen maximising convenience for our customers.”
We Deliver will be available in vehicles that have either the We Connect Plus or the Car-Net ‘Service & Security Plus’ package. To use the service, the owner of the vehicle must be registered on the Volkswagen We platform via the We Connect app. Cars eligible for the scheme are those produced after 2 January 2019, or 2 July 2018 for the Touareg.
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Author:
Andrew Baxter
Former deputy editor (maternity cover)
Andrew Baxter is an experienced journalist and content creator, starting out as a staff writer 17 years ago. He has held a number of positions on both B2B and consumer titles, including AM magazine.
colin - 27/09/2019 11:38
Ridiculous - who has asked for this??? How do car insurers feel about this??? Why do car manufacturers introduce systems like this?? Its like no-key starting and entry.......why on earth would anyway WANT this??