Volvo Car USA said it will roll out camera-based scanning systems for its dealerships that can inspect cars in seconds.
The scanning technology, developed by Israeli company UVeye, uses artificial intelligence to quickly inspect the underbody and tires and provides a 360-degree scan of the exterior. UVeye said dealerships will be able to use the technology for valuing trade-ins and checking the condition of vehicles coming in for service.
The technology, rolled out to dealerships on Thursday, will be crucial as EVs begin to dominate the automotive industry, Rick Bryant, Volvo Car USA's vice president for sales operations, told Automotive News. With EVs not requiring oil changes, a speedier inspection process will give their owners an incentive to visit dealerships more often, he said.
"As we move through this transformation in this business, this new system will be a big convenience factor for the customer," he said.
Installation of the technology will be optional for dealerships. The first dealers allowed to install the system will be on the East Coast, the company said.
Bryant said he hopes eventually at least 150 of the 280 Volvo retailers nationwide will use the system.
Volvo has been an investor in UVeye since 2019. Volvo currently uses a similar system created by UVeye for body inspections on its assembly lines, the automaker said.
Bringing this technology to dealerships may require some issues to be resolved first, but that is the price of innovation, Bryant said.
"Whenever you start a new venture, there are always forks in the road," he said. "I do anticipate some hiccups, but nothing that we can't overcome."
Gloss