The Year When Carmakers Brought Concierge Services to the Fore

One of the biggest automotive trends of 2016 and one that's set to get bigger still in the year ahead is the carmaker as concierge.

Car companies have finally realized that their relationship with their customers actually starts, rather than ends with a vehicle sale. And now that they understand, they're looking to consumer technology innovations to make up on lost time.

The latest company to do so is Volvo. It's launching an app-based concierge service for XC90 and S90 owners -- initially in San Francisco -- that will automate refueling and servicing.

"Imagine parking your car in the morning at work and when you head home your car has been serviced, cleaned and refueled," said Björn Annwall, SVP, Global Consumer Experience at Volvo Car Group.

This concierge service is not unique. Bentley offers California-based clients a fuel delivery service. Also app-enabled, owners simply place a fuel order and the fuel truck will come to the car and top up the tank.

"We are continuously investigating ways in which to offer our customers tailored, convenient, smart services that afford them the greatest luxury of all: more time," said Bentley's Director of Product and Marketing, Christophe Georges.

Meanwhile, Jaguar Land Rover has partnered with Tile, the tech firm that makes Bluetooth tracking tags that can be fitted to everything from keychains to laptops.

"Losing your wallet or leaving your child's sports kit behind isn't just an inconvenience. The realization you've mislaid something important can be a cause of distraction," said Peter Virk, Jaguar Land Rover's Director of Connected Technologies & Apps.

Since May, the Land Rover Discovery Sport has been able to automatically tell if an item that should be in the car is missing.

Mini has overhauled its connected services and in November announced its smartphone app now has the ability to analyze a handset's calendar and address book to work out where an appointment is and can automatically plan a route that will ensure you arrive on time.

When asked, Volvo says that its concierge service is born out of new research based on what drivers want.

But GM's Onstar concierge service has been up and running since 1996. In that time it's evolved from a navigation and emergency call service to offering vehicle diagnostics and more. It fields over 5 million calls a month and celebrated its 1 billionth subscriber interaction in July 2015.

This year will mark the first anniversary of the service's introduction to European drivers via the Opel and Astra brands.

"The pace at which the brand has reached 1 billion interactions shows the vast customer demand for vehicle connectivity and there's no doubt our second billion interactions will come even quicker," said Alicia Boler-Davis, senior vice president, GM Global Connected Customer Experience.

It also shows that although customers have always craved a concierge service, it's only now becoming easy for companies to deliver -- and it's all and thanks to smartphones and apps.