Volvo Rolls Out OTA to all New 2023 Cars

All new 2023 specification Volvo cars are now available with over-the-air (OTA) software update capabilities.

The technology now comes to the latest XC90, S60 and V60 models, and follows the technology’s introduction on Volvo’s BEVS. This means that the company’s full portfolio can now receive an update of the car’s complete operating system over the air involving more than 190,000 of its vehicles across the globe.

Volvo owners will get an upgrade of their infotainment system to the latest version of Android Automotive OS, Android 11. They will also get access to new app categories on Google Play, including navigation, charging and parking, while video streaming is expected to be added later in the year. On top of this, the latest OTA update brings feature improvements, ranging from better energy management through improved climate timers, and updates to mobile app functionality and in-car applications.

The energy management improvements help to maintain electrified powertrains’ battery performance during both cold and warm days, boosting driving range. The app also receives more frequent updates from the car on the charging percentage during an ongoing session.

This week’s release also marks the debut of OTA updates in several new markets around the globe, including India, Taiwan and New Zealand, after expansion to markets such as South Korea, Australia, Thailand and Singapore earlier in the year.

The automaker also reveals that it will offer its infotainment system with Google apps and services such as Google Assistant and Google Maps built-in across all new models. Its infotainment system is jointly developed with Google and claims a user-friendly interface, unparalleled connectivity and access to well-known apps and services.

Henrik Green, chief product officer at Volvo Cars, said: “By making all Volvo models able to receive over-the-air updates, we make important progress towards our ambition of making our customers’ cars better every day. This is a significant milestone: we’re now updating cars of all models in a majority of our markets, bringing the benefits of remote continuous updates to an ever-increasing number of customers.”

— Paul Myles is a seasoned automotive journalist based in Europe. Follow him on Twitter @Paulmyles_