Buying a flagship phone outright can be a rather expensive affair, which is why carriers typically offer up plans in which customers sign a contract, typically for 24-months, and then just a monthly repayment along with the price of a phone plan. Ultimately this makes it easier on the wallet, at least upfront.
In recent times we’re starting to see carmakers lean towards such a pricing plan, and Volvo is the latest of them. During the 2017 LA Auto Show, Volvo unveiled a plan to sell customers the company’s latest XC40 crossover SUV, where instead of paying a huge sum upfront, customers will just have to pay $600 a month.
This cost will cover pretty much everything that one can expect in terms of vehicle expenses, which includes the cost of the car, tax, delivery, access to Volvo’s concierge service, and insurance, which is apparently regardless of your age and location. Volvo’s Chief Digital Officer, Atif Rafiq told Engadget that this makes it easier to own a car, even compared to getting a lease.
According to Rafiq, “But a subscription is entirely different that because it solves for a bunch of wider things in actually owning a car. It’s not just getting the car, it’s maintaining it, it’s paying for additional things it needs like insurance. That’s all that in one flat fee is something simpler but is also more transparent.” Like we said, Volvo isn’t the first to offer up such services. Porsche has launched a similar program at $2,000 a month, while Ford also has a similar scheme, although in both these cases it feels more like you’re renting rather than owning.
Filed in . Read more about Volvo.