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The easiest way to drive in style while living abroad — and back at home

There are plenty of things to think about when moving abroad. Fortunately, some of them, like finding a car, don’t have to be as stressful as you imagine.

Published: 4 September 2017 09:41 CEST
The easiest way to drive in style while living abroad -- and back at home

Moving overseas is a great opportunity to experience a new culture and lifestyle.

Of course, uprooting your life and building a new one abroad isn’t necessarily easy. There’s lots to sort out, from finding the right place to live to figuring out the best place to buy groceries.

Basically, the sooner you’re able to do the everyday things you’re used to doing — whether driving the kids to school or going shopping — the sooner your new home will really start to feel like home.

For many, doing everyday things also involves owning a car. And even if scooting around on four wheels isn’t part of the daily routine in your home country, you may find that your life overseas is made easier with a car of your own.

And thanks to Volvo, owning a car while living abroad doesn’t have to be a hassle — and can actually save you money.

Read more about the benefits of Volvo Cars' Diplomat and Expat schemes

For example, who wouldn’t like to have a brand new custom-ordered Volvo ready and waiting at their next posting so you can drive in style from the very start?

And with Volvo Cars' Diplomat and Expat sales schemes, you can get a new XC60 at a very favourable price.

Not only can you nip around in Volvo’s all-new XC60 during your time abroad — but Volvo also makes it a snap to bring your vehicle back home at the end of your assignment.

The all-new XC60

One of Volvo’s most popular models, the XC60, has been updated to a new version in 2017, making the new XC60 one of the safest and most efficient mid-sized SUVs available.

Its turbo- and supercharged four-cylinder petrol engine combines with an electric motor giving the new XC60 the lowest CO2 emissions of the range, meaning you can start your life abroad on an eco-friendly foot.

The new XC60 is also Volvo’s most hi-tech car so far, with features that will add comfort and convenience as you adjust to overseas life. The on-board Sensus Navigation system and nine-inch, in-dash touch screen means no wrong turns as you make your way to your new office, shopping centre, or nearest park.

There are even apps to save you time by finding and paying for a parking space or locating the nearest petrol station. These helpful tools will no doubt come in handy when exploring new cities, or when you’re low on petrol and don’t know the area.

Learn more about how to order your own custom Volvo XC60 

The XC60’s voice-activated controls also mean that even as you may struggle to learn a new language, your Volvo will always know what you’re trying to say.

Volvo also has you covered if you’re moving somewhere with extreme weather conditions. Heat and defrost your car remotely on cold mornings with the Volvo On Call app, or start up the air con so it’s cool on hot days. It’s just one of the many thoughtful touches that makes this model the perfect car for any life abroad in any climate.

Safety first

It’s been two and a half years since Volvo pledged that, by 2020, no-one would be seriously injured or killed in one of its new cars or SUVs. The new Volvo XC60 is this pledge in action, with top-of-the-line IntelliSafe safety technology ready to step in when you need it most.

City Safety identifies obstacles on the road – such as cyclists, oncoming vehicles, and large animals – and helps you to avoid or mitigate a collision and steer around them.

Find out how Volvo Cars makes it easier to buy a Volvo with its Diplomat and Expat schemes

It’s innovations like this, along with safety belt technology that reduces the risk of serious injury in the event of a crash, that are always helpful when getting to know new road and traffic laws.

All in all, the new Volvo XC60 can help make your life overseas just a little easier. Stylish and safe, comfortable and clever, the epitome of Swedish design, your XC60 will be sure to get the neighbours’ attention when you pull into the driveway back home after your posting has come to an end.

And with Volvo Cars' Diplomat and Expat schemes, it’s one less thing to worry about when planning your relocation.

Request a quote on a custom Volvo

Volvo Cars’ full model range is available on its Diplomat and Expat schemes. So whether you’ve always dreamed of owning a Volvo or simply want a good deal in a fantastic car while living abroad, request a quote online, and take advantage of the amazing offer that will let you return home from your time abroad with much more than just memories.

There are Volvo Diplomat dealers in more than 40 countries and your new car can be shipped to your current destination or next posting, so wherever you’re headed you can explore it in style.

Find the nearest Volvo Diplomat and Expat Dealership

This article was produced by The Local Client Studio and sponsored by Volvo Cars Diplomat Sales

 

CARS

From lizards to water, eco-bumps snag Tesla’s giant Berlin car factory

In the green forest outside Berlin, a David and Goliath-style battle is playing out between electric carmaker Tesla and environmental campaigners who want to stop its planned "gigafactory".

Published: 18 April 2021 15:11 CEST
From lizards to water, eco-bumps snag Tesla's giant Berlin car factory
Tesla's gigafactory outside the doors of Berlin. dpa-Zentralbild | Patrick Pleul

“When I saw on TV that the Tesla factory was going to be built here, I couldn’t believe it,” said Steffen Schorch, driving his trusty German-made car.

The 60-year-old from Erkner village in the Berlin commuter belt has become one of the faces of the fight against the US auto giant’s first European factory, due to open in the Brandenburg region near Berlin in July.

“Tesla needs far too much water, and the region does not have this water,” said the environmental activist, a local representative of the Nabu ecologist campaign group.

Announced in November 2019, Tesla’s gigafactory project was warmly welcomed as an endorsement of the “Made in Germany” quality mark – but was immediately met with opposition from local residents.

Demonstrations, legal action, open letters – residents have done everything in their power to delay the project, supported by powerful
environmental campaign groups Nabu and Gruene Liga.

Tesla was forced to temporarily suspend forest clearing last year after campaigners won an injunction over threats to the habitats of resident lizards and snakes during their winter slumber.

READ MORE: Is Germany’s Volkswagen becoming ‘the new Tesla’ as it ramps up e-vehicle production?

And now they have focused their attention on water consumption – which could reach up to 3.6 million cubic metres a year, or around 30 percent of the region’s available supply, according to the ZDF public broadcaster.

The extra demand could place a huge burden on a region already affected by water shortages and hit by summer droughts for the past three years.

Local residents and environmentalists are also concerned about the impact on the wetlands, an important source of biodiversity in the region.

Tesla Street

“The water situation is bad, and will get worse,” Heiko Baschin, a spokesman for the neighbourhood association IG Freienbrink, told AFP.

Brandenburg’s environment minister Axel Vogel sought to play down the issue, saying in March that “capacity has not been exceeded for now”.

But the authorities admit that “the impact of droughts is significant” and have set up a working group to examine the issue in the long term.

The gigafactory is set to sprawl over 300 hectares – equivalent to approximately 560 football fields – southwest of the German capital.

Tesla is aiming to produce 500,000 electric vehicles a year at the plant, which will also be home to “the largest battery factory in the world”,
according to group boss Elon Musk.

In a little over a year and a half, swathes of coniferous forest have already been cleared to make way for vast concrete rectangles on a red earth base, accessed via the already iconic Tesla Strasse (Tesla Street).

German bureaucracy

The new site still has only provisional construction permits, but Tesla has been authorised by local officials to begin work at its own risk.

Final approval depends on an assessment of the project’s environmental impact – including the issue of water.

In theory, if approval is not granted, Tesla will have to dismantle the entire complex at its own expense.

But “pressure is being exerted (on the regulatory authorities), linked to Tesla’s significant investment”, Gruene Liga’s Michael Greschow told AFP.

In early April, Tesla said it was “irritated” by the slow pace of German bureaucracy, calling for exceptions to the rules for projects that help the environment.

Economy Minister Peter Altmaier agreed in April that his government “had not done enough” to reduce bureaucracy, lauding the gigafactory as a “very important project”.

Despite Germany’s reputation for efficiency, major infrastructure projects are often held up by bureaucracy criticised as excessive by the business community.

Among the most embarrassing examples are Berlin’s new airport which opened last October after an eight-year delay and Stuttgart’s new train station, which has been under construction since 2010.

Brandenburg’s economy minister, Joerg Steinbach, raised the possibility in February that the Tesla factory could be delayed beyond its July planned opening for the same reason.

SEE ALSO: Tesla advertises over 300 jobs for new Gigafactory near Berlin

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