Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK
PRESENTED BY VOLVO CARS

The one underrated thing that makes any relocation easier

When you think of all the things that can make your relocation easier, a spacious car probably doesn’t come top of the list.

Published: 22 January 2018 08:43 CET
The one underrated thing that makes any relocation easier
Volvo's new XC40 is a small SUV with smart storage.

But when you’re living in a new country, it can suddenly become a necessity in ways you might not have realised.

In those first few months, for example, you’ll spend who knows how many hours carting around new furnishings to help make your new place feel like home. And what better way for the whole family to embark on a weekend adventure.

Indeed, when living abroad, your car becomes so much more than just a way of getting from A to B. It becomes the mobile hub that opens you and your family up to a whole new world, helping you to explore and familiarise yourself with your surroundings so you too can navigate your new home like a true local.

Diplomats & Expats get a new Volvo at a favourable price. Find out more.

Stephanie Lindqvist and her family on vacation in Florida.

Just ask Stephanie Lindqvist, an American expat currently living in Sweden. Along with her husband Johan and their two children, Stephanie has spent the better part of the last twenty years relocating across the globe in places as far afield as Turkey, France, the Philippines — and now Sweden.

“A spacious car definitely helps you settle in somewhere”, she says. “When we were living in Turkey we drove all over the country in our Volvo. When you have a car that you can comfortably fit everyone into you can go on the most amazing vacations and stop off wherever you want.”

The brand new Volvo XC40

Volvo’s new XC40 is a small SUV with smart storage.

There's a place for everything in Volvo's new XC40.

The cleverly designed interior helps you to make the most of the space in your car. There are dedicated nooks and crannies for everything from your phone to a box of tissues, as well as retractable hooks to stop personal belongings moving around while you’re on the go.

And if all that’s not enough, it has a built-in bin so you won’t have to empty rubbish from footwells and car doors after your family road trip.

Request a quote on a custom Volvo XC40

There’s even a fold-up floor in the trunk to keep things from shifting while you’re driving. Perfect for any relocation when there’s always plenty of need for space to pile in shopping or suitcases.

There's plenty of smart space to pack up your belongings in Volvo's new XC40. 

“When you move there’s always things you forget or don’t bring,” says Stephanie. “It’s really important to have a car you can fit everything in. It just makes life so much easier.”

But what if you aren’t planning to relocate with your car?

The good news is that, with Volvo Cars’ Diplomat and Expat sales schemes, you can have a custom XC40 delivered to your next posting. It’s also easy to have the vehicle shipped back to wherever you call home if you one day plan on moving back. And the whole deal comes at a very favourable price.

Find out the benefits of Volvo Cars’ Diplomat and Expat Schemes

The perfect city car

One major consideration when choosing a car for your relocation is whether it’s designed for your local terrain.

“There’s always different requirements when you relocate,” says Stephanie. “In Istanbul, it’s really hilly and, although winter is short, it can snow. So we needed a car that could handle that.”

Volvo's new XC40 is made for city life, but can handle adventures!

She adds that it was totally different when she was living in France, and different again now that she’s in Sweden.

“In Paris, you don’t want a big car because it’s a total pain to park. There’s often just 30cm between you and the car next to you! And now we’re living in the suburbs in Stockholm, we really need a car because otherwise you’re really cut off.”

The XC40 is Volvo’s smallest XC yet, so although spacious within, it’s built for the tight spaces that accompany city life. It also comes with Volvo’s standard City Safety feature, which activates the brakes automatically to avoid a collision if a pedestrian, cyclist, or large animal unexpectedly appears in the way.

But with its all-wheel drive, 246-hp turbo four-cylinder engine, and effortless steering, don’t discount the XC40 as an SUV that can take you and your family out of the city and on an adventure whenever you want to go off exploring.

You can choose from the full range of Volvo’s models, including the XC40, using Volvo Cars’ Diplomat and Expat schemes. Request a quote online and get a custom Volvo delivered to your next posting so you can drive in style from the moment you arrive.

Find your nearest Volvo Cars’ 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

SHOW COMMENTS