Volvo partners Spotify for in-car entertainment
Volvo is partnering with Spotify to launch a voice-activated in-car music system integrated with the dashboard through the car marque’s Sensus Connected Touch system.
Drivers will be able to stream music using a 3G or 4G dongle or through a mobile phone connection by saying the name of the desired track. The voice-activated tool allows Volvo-owners to use the music platform safely while driving.
The Sensus system will also allow users to control it via the steering wheel so they don’t have to take their hands off the wheel.
The system, which turns the 7-inch dashboard display into a touch screen, also allows full internet browsing – although not while driving, internet radio and Google maps. Data can also be transferred to the Android based in-car system from a mobile phone using WiFi. It includes an app store so that drivers can update the system with new functions.
Sensus can be fitted in all new Volvo’s form May and retrofitted to Volvo’s manufactured since 2011.
Håkan Hellman, product manager for infotainment and connectivity at Volvo Car Group, says: “The intuitive user interface, a very rapid browser response and the wide choice of around 20 functions and apps are benefits that make Sensus Connected Touch outstanding compared with our main competitors’ solutions.”
The automotive industry is increasingly turning its focus to internet connected in-car entertainment systems. Ford announced a similar partnership with Spotify last month as part of its Sync AppLink platform connecting Spotify’s mobile app with its internet connected in-car radios.
