Now that I have BLIS I love it and will want it on all future vehicles.

 

I have V90cc with it and a new XC60 without... im not missing it as much as i thought i would (i sometimes turned it off anyways). No CTA might be more frustrating... still managable though.
Btw. You can install BLIS if you want. 1200-1500€ here in Poland.

 

Thank you. But he told us that the CTA is also not available. I thought its part of the BLIS System anyways but now I see BLIS and CTA are two different systems, but both wont be available

 

Personally, BLIS is not such an important function for me that I would give up the vehicle after 10 months of waiting

Obviously, it depends on the market, delivery can be much shorter

As far as I can see BLIS is part of the driver assistance package which costs 1300 EUR, ask the dealer how he calculated the price of 500 EUR for the BLIS system
There is no option to purchase only the BLIS system

 

As far as I can see BLIS is part of the driver assistance package which costs 1300 EUR, ask the dealer how he calculated the price of 500 EUR for the BLIS system
There is no option to purchase only the BLIS system

Its included in the lease agreement. So I really dont know what they are calculating. He said something like: in 36 month a x EUR per month you would have paid 3xx EUR for the both systems and you make a little 'profit' of a around 200 EUR. As an customer I can't see through this properly how they do that math
But the whole package (BLIS and CTA) and couple more assistent systems are included in the booked "Ultimate"-Pack which is around 14.400 EUR and for me it is not visible how much exactly the two systems cost per month.

 

BLIS and CTA are "connected". You get them both for the price i quoted in my previous post. I wanted to do it as soon as i got the car... 6 months later, i don't think about it. Maybe later

 

Our dealer said it could not be retrofitted, nor would it be an option to push the delivery back 4-8 weeks.
Perhaps they have within these weeks in the factory the appropriate parts to deliver this system directly with.
However, you say the systems are connected. But is this perhaps about the technical pre-equipment such as sensors, cameras chips ect. that must be installed in the body so that the system can work at all? Everything else makes no sense in my eyes, because otherwise the car could be delivered without problems and in a few weeks after delivery the vehicle is then called into the workshop and the missing things are adjusted?

 

It's not retrofited by the dealer (You get the new mirror inserts and some other stuff. The wiring harness is there, you get it programmed and voila).
These guys (dealer) are clueless more often than not, saying many things can't be done... while true mechanics do them with no problems.

 

You did retrofit Blis? Think not only new mirrors, but need radars in front and rear bumper? What wiring harness you mean is "there" ?

So, in fact 2x mirror replacement with small cameras, usual where BLIS available, included 360 cameras + front & rear radar + wiring and sure coding, is this right?

 

That's right. That always gives me ideas like they're deliberately trying to get me out of my contract because they know demand is high and they'll get more for the same vehicle if they sell it to someone else. On the other hand, that can't be in Volvo's interest.
It's just the most annoying thing for the customer. We are now under pressure to consider an alternative, or take a vehicle that has a possibly already quite safety-relevant system is not on board. After all, you pay a lot of money for it.
At the same time, the market is so limited that there are hardly any alternatives at the moment. The BMW x3, for example, as a plug-in, which has now also been launched on the market, costs 15,000 EUR less than the Volvo, although it is 200 EUR more expensive per month when leased. The situation is similar for Mercedes. In addition, there are the extremely long waiting times

 

That sounds terrible. Is it common for an order to take that long, almost a year from order to delivery? If you cancel and order a 2024 would you have to wait another year? It might not take as long and you would get a faster charger. Obviously I don’t know how available these cars are in your area but my immediate thought is to look elsewhere.

 

That sounds terrible. Is it common for an order to take that long, almost a year from order to delivery?

A friend of ours has already ordered an XC60 in January 2022. He still does not have the car. However, I do not know if or what went wrong there. But now the massive problems with the missing components for the assistance systems. Something does not seem to run smoothly in general. Crazy times...

 

Another dealer offered us two other vehicles again today
An XC60 T6 Recharge Plus and an XC60 T8 Recharge Polestar

The T6 is a bit weaker on the chest than the one we actually ordered and costs a bit less because it is a bit less equipped.
The T8 Polestar costs around 60 EUR per month more, but is almost fully equipped. Both vehicles would be emergency solutions, because both are not 100% convincing e.g. color and some equipment content. These are actually luxury problems. Both are probably currently at the dealer and would even be available until May. However, with T8 is not 100% clear whether the BLIS and CTA systems have, are standard in the Polestar Engineered package, but whether that is actually in it, is not yet clear. Possibly we will see that tomorrow when we visit both vehicles at short notice.

We have not yet thought about a complete new order. 1. it is not at all clear whether the problem with BLIS and CTA will then be solved? Maybe the new vehicle will be delivered without them? What is already 100% sure, May can not be met as a delivery date in any case. It is more likely to be the end of 2023.
Another problem is our current lease, which expires in May. We would then be without a vehicle and would have to have a temporary solution for half a year. 4 weeks would not be a problem, after that it would be annoying and possibly more expensive to have to look for a short-term solution.

 

You seem well informed and on the correct path. In my opinion, the dealer is looking to dissolve the contract and either sale the vehicle or lease it at PMV, most likely the aforementioned. I have BLIS and as some have mentioned, do not find it required for the majority of my commuting needs. In traffic and/or city use, I often deactivate the feature. The times that I do use it are when I'm traveling for longer distances (100km or >) and at higher speeds. It looks like you reside in Germany, so having lived in Freiburg and Frankfurt and traveled extensively on the BAB, I would most certainly want this feature. The one additional point mentioned is that this is a Lease auto, but I've purchased several vehicles at the term of my lease as I grew to enjoy the car more than expected. With that, if you think this might be a possibility for you, I'd use that as a catalyst with the dealer and strongly request a deeper discount/credit than what they quoted.

 

Its a tough choice to make, to take a car without a standard feature like that. But the funny thing is I never fully take advantage of it, always catch myself looking over my shoulder checking the blind spot. So may not be a deal breaker after all if you don’t rely on it. Plus it’s a lease so not that long of a commitment.

 

Well it's standard in the US, but not other markets. There have been shortages, if the dealer is telling you to buy the car they have for you that's hardly trying to talk you out of your contract. Dealers get zero say in the production cycle and very little in allocation, so they can't just say "keep the car at the factory until you get the parts, that's simply not how it works. I think it's just an unfortunate part of the times we're in. I for one was thankful Volvo kept BLIS standard on our cars. I don't use it much at all on the older cars but I find the new ones have the B pillar were I like to sit so they are a bigger deal. If someone sits further up it's probably less of a factor. Drive it without and see what you think. See if they'll put you on a dealer tag, assuming they do that there, for a few days before you completely commit.

 

Well it's standard in the US, but not other markets. There have been shortages, if the dealer is telling you to buy the car they have for you that's hardly trying to talk you out of your contract. Dealers get zero say in the production cycle and very little in allocation, so they can't just say "keep the car at the factory until you get the parts, that's simply not how it works. I think it's just an unfortunate part of the times we're in.

That is of course correct. A dealer can't just control the production line at Volvo and say just hold that back a bit.
In my context, that was spoken a bit more from Volvo's point of view directly. It can't really be in the spirit of Volvo to deliver their upper class cars half-finished without a large part of their assistance systems.
Some time ago, manufacturers like VW had rented huge open spaces in Germany, where unfinished vehicles waited until the missing parts finally arrived. BMW had done a similar thing.
Mercedes always had outstanding numbers in the last quarters, although like many others they had short-time work during Corona and the workforce was only 60% present. They had just primarily produced and delivered their upper class vehicles, on which they have a higher margin due to the many additional features.

With little things like the Bowers and Wilkins sound system or the ambient lighting, I as a customer would probably not have brought more than 15 minutes to decide to deliver the car. A cancellation would be out of the question.

At this moment I would like to cancel the order, but that is not really an option in several ways. Volvo offers you a choice, but it is not really...

Quite right. They now give you the choice as a customer, but there is no real choice. The call came to us on Friday and we should make the decision by Monday. There aren't that many options over the weekend, when normally everyone has time off from work.

 

I'm in the same situation: ordered a XC60 T8 polestar to be delivered end of March/beginning of April. Got the phone-call this week that BLIS would not be available because of a shortage of hardware (semi-conductors). I asked for more details and they sent me the official documentation from Volvo. From there it is clear that it is about the 'driver awareness' package that includes BLIS as well as Rear Collision Warning and Cross Traffic Alert. They offer EUR 495,- as a reimbursement.

I did not select these systems as specific options on the car I ordered; they coma as standard. And like others here I find it difficult to accept that a EUR 90.000 car does not have these systems (or at least BLIS) while many much cheaper cars have it (as well as my current 4-year old Seat). At this moment I would like to cancel the order, but that is not really an option in several ways. Volvo offers you a choice, but it is not really...

 

From there it is clear that it is about the 'driver awareness' package that includes BLIS as well as Rear Collision Warning and Cross Traffic Alert. They offer EUR 495,- as a reimbursement.

Interestingly, the individual price of that package is 1300 EUR, and the dealer offers only 495 EUR

 

Obviously, someone made a big mistake
They must have known in advance that they would not have the hardware parts to install in the ordered cars, or someone simply let it happen so that the cars with all the accessories were ordered and then before the delivery they called and said, sorry, we don't have that option
Totally unprofessional and can I say rude

I know that 7-8 months ago, VW stopped the delivery of the cheapest ie basic models, because they also contain components that are installed in more expensive models, that's why they decided to leave those components for more expensive models. Maybe someone will say that it is not fair, but.........it's better than ordering a car and after 7-8 months of waiting for them to say sorry we don't have that option

 

BLIS and CTA use many (all?) of the same sensors - they're in the rear bumper. I wouldn't own a premium vehicle like a Volvo today without it. I could take or leave BLIS but CTA is very helpful when backing out of parking spots and not being able to see cars approaching.

 

I have owned 3 XC60s in three years. My last T6 recharge My 2023 arrived in January 2023, and I ordered it on December 2021 (14 months of waiting!)
Luckily they delivered it to me with the Blis.
I had sold the MY 2022 because I had to give up the Blis (which I had on the MY 2021), an optional that I consider essential for safety, also because it doesn't just warn you of the presence of other cars, but turns the steering wheel to support the driver to avoid collision with a side car or motorbike.

 

I looks like there will be no BLIS on volvo cars manufacturer from 7 to 16 week of 2023. On one of FB Group someone posted:

This is the translated text (from French) from the official communication from Volvo to their dealers:
The global shortage of semiconductors continues to have a significant impact on the automotive industry. The supply of computer chips remains unstable and also affects Volvo Cars' production, despite close and continuous consultation with our suppliers and logistics partners. Initially, we tried here to minimize the impact for our customers, but unfortunately we were not able to preserve all customer orders. Volvo Cars therefore had to adapt the production schedule to the material available. Meanwhile, it is also clear that the shortage of semiconductors will impact the production of XC40 T2/ T4/ T5/ B3/ B4, S60, V60, V60CC and XC60 which have been ordered with Driver Awareness (includes BLIS, Rear Collision Warning and Cross Traffic Alert functions) and whose production is scheduled from week 07 to week 16 inclusive of 2023. This concerns both cars on which Driver Awareness was present standard in the selected equipment level (S60 Ultimate; V60 Plus and Ultimate; V60 Cross Country Plus and Ultimate; XC60 Plus and Ultimate) than cars where the customer had selected the Driver Assist Pack with option 603 (Driver Awareness) (XC40 Esstential, Core, Plus et Ultimate; S60 Plus; V60 Essential et Core; XC60 Essential and Core)
The AM23 cars mentioned above and which will be produced from week 07 to including week 16 of 2023, will unfortunately be produced without Driver Awareness. Since these are cars that will be produced in the coming weeks, we ask that you contact your customers and offer them the following two alternatives:
1. Your customer accepts his order without Driver Awareness, and the amount of Driver Awareness mentioned below is therefore deducted from his invoice. As a result, his car can still be produced and delivered under the agreed conditions. amount to be deducted from the invoice S60 V60 V60CC XC60 XC40 T2/ T4/ T5/ B3/ B4 495,87 € excluding VAT 454,55 € VAT 21% included (BE) 550 € 600 € 16% VAT included (LUX) 527,27 € 575,21 €
2. Your customer cancels his order.
You can find the customers concerned in the list that we have provided to you. We are monitoring the situation in our factories on a daily basis, and as soon as we have more information, we will let you know. Thank you for your understanding.

 

I'm in th US and most states have sales tax, but not all. Some states don't have income taxes. I just looked at a 2023 map of VAT's in Europe.
I'm shocked at how high they are.

 

I'm in th US and most states have sales tax, but not all. Some states don't have income taxes. I just looked at a 2023 map of VAT's in Europe.
I'm shocked at how high they are.

It's not just the tax, because it ranges from 14-24% in the EU in most countries. The base price of the car is much more expensive than in the US market
With a note that cars on the US market usually have more equipment, which is additionally paid for in the EU So the price for the same model with the same equipment package in the EU is 25-40% more expensive
Here's an example: XC60 Polestar Engineered
Price in US 76.900 $
Price in Germany 99.800$

 

Thanks for all the comments and the lively exchange. Then it has probably hit a lot of other vehicles besides our XC60. Thanks for sharing the official message to the dealers @krystian.bigaj

I'm curious how many will make use of the special cancellation and cancel the vehicle and how many will take their vehicle despite the lack of the package, simply because there are hardly any alternatives on the market.

We canceled our order on Monday. There was no further call from the dealer or any further exchange. Funny, I wonder if he is miffed. He said in advance that it would be no problem to get rid of the vehicle elsewhere because the demand is high (I'm not so sure, without the systems the vehicle simply has a clear reason not to buy it) on the other hand, there is currently also a kind of reluctance to buy. The prices are so high, many stay with their used cars and do not buy a new car (and then maybe not worse equipment?).
Perhaps our dealer but also did not think that we would still find so quickly an alternative.

As I wrote, we have looked at another dealer 2 vehicles, 1x the XC60 T6 and an XC60 T8 Polestar Engineered
As I first thought that the latter vehicle is eliminated, it has now become the T8. The price difference between T6 and T8 was in the 36 month lease then but not sooo serious, but the T8 is fully equipped and the T6 clearly slimmed down.

We are looking forward to the day in May when we will pick up the car. It will be our first Volvo.

 

I bought my B4 without Blis as it was a stock unit. I would like to have it but can live without.
Most important for me is the Pilot Assist.

Do you know if you can have CTA or RCW without Blis mirrors ?

Thanks

 

I'm not 100% sure. But I found this in the manual. Translated it means: CTA warns you also by the activated BLIS lamps. This would mean that both would be necessary together.

 

Thanks. Then I guess I have no CTA !

 

The complete Driver Awareness system will be missing, which includes BLIS, Rear Collision Warning and Cross Traffic Alert.

Still in doubt what to do: cancel, or just get the car without...

 

I will add one more vote for BLIS is not important to me. We also live in Germany and have had a 2020 XC60 since 2019. I find the system somewhat unreliable particularly when the roads are dirty. The sensors become obscured and the light comes on when there is no car present. If you have the habit of looking and not trusting the machine, I would not worry about it.

CTA is nice in the few situations where the vehicles on both sides make it impossible to see another car. Unfortunately it also "sees" other cars when you are in a parking lot near a large road. More than a few times it has slammed the brakes when I was parking because it perceived a threat.

BMW is not better. I ordered a 2022 M4 in August of 2021 with a November 2021 delivery date. After many delays and a month or so parked in Munich awaiting parts it arrived in April 2022 (about 5 months late). Upon delivery I asked for an explanation of the 360 degree camera. The salesman said "this car is not equipped." I informed him I selected every option except the track day. He investigated and said it was not available at the time my order was processed, but it was no problem to add it. We took the car home and after 2 weeks of back and forth the service department said it is NOT possible to add later. The only time I miss it is when parking, but it still annoys me that a car that costs so much does not have it. Less important, but they also deleted gesture controls for the multi function display.

 

I've been driving for around 50 years and my factory ordered 2020 V90 Inscription T6 is the first one I've had with BLIS. Never had a problem driving, before, without BLIS, but IMO it's a good accident mitigation safety system. When I placed my order, this was one of the safety systems that I looked forward to getting. Being honest, for me, as I get older, having BLIS and other safey systems does nothing but help me as I drive my car. With this said, particularly after riding a motorcycle for years, I'm still a good/attentive driver and am well aware of my surrounding while driving, but BLIS is there, just in-case I inadvertently miss something.

 

Just an update of the situation: I have cancelled my order for the MY23 T8 Polestar, and the dealer used a new slot in the order system for a MY24 T8 Polestar. It will go in production somewhere May this year and for the exact same specification it is some 2.700,- cheaper?! But still there is no guarantee that Driver Awareness system will be available on that one. We will just have to wait and see...

 

Mine is also planned for May. Did not receive an information on BLIS/CTA yet, so hopefully it will be built in. It is one of the most important features for me.

 

BLIS I could live without, especially in Europe. In the USA, with cars passing on both sides, it feels a bit more important.

CTA, on the other side... it's saved me from a couple of unpleasant situations. Wouldn't want a car without it.

 

Hello! From what I’ve discussed with my dealer in Romania, it seems that the factory orders do not accept BLIS and CTA on new orders for the XC60( they said for the XC90 this is not an issue and can be added) up until late summer and at this point it is hard to tell when or if it will be available again. Their speculation, unofficially, is that the absence of this safety feature is linked to the new 2024 model. At this point I’m not willing to order mine w/o BLIS feature