Volvo has confirmed that it will integrate Apple Music into over two million cars globally via a recently launched over-the-air update.
The electric-only models to benefit from the improvement are all post-2020 vehicles, comprising the Volvo EX90, the ES90, the XC40, the EC40, and the EX30. Meanwhile, the recently launched EX60 SUV will come with Apple Music already integrated upon initial UK deliveries this summer.
Volvo is offering customers with eligible vehicles three months’ free Apple Music, which would otherwise cost £10.99 per month for an individual subscription.
To access Apple Music in their car, the owner will need to sign in to their Apple iCloud account. If they do not have access to one, they will be required to sign up.
Volvo believes its latest tie-up with Apple will help “take sound quality to new heights”, as Apple Music comes with Dolby Atmos-powered Spatial Audio technology to provide a more immersive listening experience over other audio streaming services.
The Swedish brand’s optional Bowers and Wilkins sound system is available on its latest tranche of EVs, the EX90, the ES90, and the EX60. “Carefully calibrated to the car’s interior acoustics” and described as “one of the most advanced in-car audio systems ever developed,” the stereo promises an “exceptional music experience” that transforms the car into “a premium listening environment”.
On the back of the roll-out, Volvo’s chief of global software engineering, Alwin Bakkenes, commented: “Many of our customers use Apple Music on their phones or in their homes today. By bringing Apple Music directly into our cars, we’re making them an extraordinary place to experience music.
“You’ll feel as if you’re right in the middle of a concert hall or an arena during your favourite live performance or immersed in the latest music in Spatial Audio exactly as the artist intended – a truly emotional listening experience.”
The Volvo EX90 SUV is the brand’s largest electric-only model and is priced from £73,160. Meanwhile, the £67,560 ES90 is the Gothenburg-based carmaker’s first shot at an all-electric saloon aimed squarely at the likes of the BMW i5 and the Mercedes EQE. Introduced earlier this year, the mid-sized ES60 comes with a £56,860 starting price. Thanks to a 503-mile range, it’s the longest EV on sale in the United Kingdom at present.
