It’s SiriusXM‘s “most advanced” in-dash audio entertainment option, and it is making its Volvo automobile line debut in two new fully electric vehicles — cars that are the focal point of a heated effort by the NAB and Congress to ensure they keep AM radio accessible to drivers and passengers.
As the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act winds its way through both sides of Capitol Hill, with some 27 co-sponsors of the Senate version and 135 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives, SiriusXM with 360L will make its Volvo debut in the 2024 Volvo EX30 and EX90 SUVs.
Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) has called out Volvo for its removal of AM radio from its EV line, as has Ted Cruz (R-Tex.).
Meanwhile, Volvo has been an active user of streaming audio for its marketing efforts in recent years, with a pre-pandemic Q1 2020 campaign with TuneIn documented by RBR+TVBR.
Now, the message that Volvo Car USA and Canada may be less friendly to broadcast radio than to its digital “Share of Ear” competitors could be perceived as even stronger.
Speaking of the pact with SiriusXM, which continues to rely on pricy satellites to deliver its signals of varying audio quality to vehicles and has failed to fully capture listeners to its data-powered smartphone apps, Volvo Car USA and Canada President Mike Cottone said, “Delivering a personalized and intuitive user experience is central to our purpose at Volvo Cars. The debut of SiriusXM with 360L in our next-generation fully electric EX30 and EX90 SUVs is an important step in this regard with the potential for continuous improvement over time.”
At the same time, SiriusXM SVP/GM of Automotive Partnerships Gail Berger commented, “Volvo Cars and SiriusXM have enjoyed a long and successful history of working together and we are excited to continue to deliver SiriusXM’s audio entertainment programming as a standard feature across Volvo Cars’ lineup of vehicles. We are also thrilled to debut our latest generation platform, SiriusXM with 360L, to Volvo Cars’ drivers in the new, all-electric EX30 and EX90.”
SiriusXM with 360L combines satellite and streaming content delivery into a single, cohesive in-vehicle entertainment experience, which provides drivers and their passengers with “more choice, better discovery and a more personalized listening experience.”
The SiriusXM with 360L experience in Volvo cars will deliver SiriusXM’s full complement of in-vehicle content and features as well as the ability to receive over-the-air updates that will allow drivers to enjoy the latest features from SiriusXM.
Volvo Cars’ customers purchasing or leasing SiriusXM-equipped vehicles in the United States receive a three-month trial subscription to the SiriusXM Platinum Plan. The SiriusXM Platinum Plan delivers SiriusXM’s full lineup of varied content, plus access to SiriusXM outside the vehicles on the SXM App and on connected devices and speakers in the home.
