• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechVolvo

Volvo’s Solution for the Package Theft Epidemic: Your Car’s Trunk

By
Kirsten Korosec
Kirsten Korosec
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Kirsten Korosec
Kirsten Korosec
Down Arrow Button Icon
May 10, 2016, 5:34 PM ET
Volvo Cars pioneers two-hour in-car delivery service with Swedish start-up urb-it
Volvo Cars pioneers two-hour in-car delivery service with Swedish start-up urb-itCourtesy of Volvo Car Group

Volvo Car Group is introducing a new service with Swedish startup Urb-it that promises to deliver packages ordered online to a car owner’s trunk in under two hours.

The delivery service will be initially limited to Volvo owners living in Stockholm, Sweden. It will expand to several European cities this year and to more than 200 cities globally by 2025, Volvo says.

Volvo has been experimenting with its so-called in-car delivery services since 2014, when it first presented the idea at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The company, which was acquired by Zhejiang Geely Holding of China in 2010, launched an in-car delivery service last year tied to Black Friday and Cyber Monday. The service, which was confined to Gothenburg, Sweden, was done in partnership with PostNord, the region’s largest distribution company, online toy and baby goods store Lekmer.com, and Mat.se, a Swedish online grocery retailer.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s daily newsletter about technology.

Without a network of qualified people readily available to transport packages, it’s hard to scale up any kind of delivery service, and Volvo certainly isn’t in a position to do this alone.

But its collaboration with Urb-it solves the people problem. Urb-it employs students and other part-time workers who get paid per delivery. A user can choose their personal “urber,” as the company calls them. Once the urber receives the order on their mobile device, he or she collects the items at the shop by presenting a special order code. They then take the package and deliver it directly to the car in under two hours.

Of course, delivery isn’t possible without the ability to give the delivery person easy to access to the trunk of the car. That’s where a digital key or smartphone app comes in. For the in-car delivery service, the “urber” will be assigned a one-time digital key for access to the trunk.

We test drove Volvo’s new sedan:

This is coincides with a larger push by Volvo to make all new vehicles without keys by 2017. Instead of a physical key or even a smart fob, customers will be offered a smartphone app that will work like a digital key to lock and unlock doors or remote start the engine.

The move towards the smartphone app, which was announced in February, suggests the company is experimenting with new ways people might use their cars. This in-car delivery service is just one way. Car-sharing is another. For instance, using an app, people could book and pay for a rental car and have the digital car key delivered to their phone immediately. The customer could use the app to locate the rental car, unlock it, and drive away, avoiding long queues at car rental desks.

About the Author
By Kirsten Korosec
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

bytedance
AIHollywood
Top Hollywood screenwriter warns TikTok’s new tool is at the gates: ‘I hate to say it. It’s likely over for us’
By Barbara Ortutay and The Associated PressFebruary 16, 2026
12 hours ago
ring
LawAmazon
Amazon’s Ring decides maybe partnering with a police surveillance firm is a bad idea after wide revulsion at Super Bowl ad
By The Associated PressFebruary 16, 2026
13 hours ago
Brian Moynihan, chief executive officer of Bank of America Corp.
EconomyJobs
Brian Moynihan isn’t so worried about an AI jobs bloodbath, pointing to a 1960s theory that computers would end all management roles
By Eleanor PringleFebruary 16, 2026
14 hours ago
manyika
CommentaryScience
AI is transforming science – more researchers need access to these powerful tools for discovery  
By James Manyika and Demis HassabisFebruary 16, 2026
16 hours ago
Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on February 13, 2026 in New York City.
InvestingMarkets
Trillion-dollar AI market wipeout happened because investors banked that ‘almost every tech company would come out a winner’
By Eleanor PringleFebruary 16, 2026
18 hours ago
Big TechChips
Rampant AI demand for memory is fueling a growing chip crisis
By Debby Wu, Takashi Mochizuki, Yoolim Lee and BloombergFebruary 15, 2026
1 day ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Economy
Social Security's trust fund is nearing insolvency, and the borrowing binge that may follow will rip through debt markets, economist warns
By Jason MaFebruary 15, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Future of Work
Malcolm Gladwell tells young people if they want a STEM degree, 'don’t go to Harvard.' You may end up at the bottom of your class and drop out
By Sasha RogelbergFebruary 14, 2026
3 days ago
placeholder alt text
Real Estate
A billionaire and an A-list actor found refuge in a 37-home Florida neighborhood with armed guards—proof that privacy is now the ultimate luxury
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezFebruary 15, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Meet the grandmother living out of a 400-ft ‘granny pod’ to save money and help with child care—it’s become an American ‘economic necessity’
By Emma BurleighFebruary 15, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
A U.S. 'debt spiral' could start soon as the interest rate on government borrowing is poised to exceed economic growth, budget watchdog says
By Jason MaFebruary 14, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Commentary
Something big is happening in AI — and most people will be blindsided
By Matt ShumerFebruary 11, 2026
6 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.