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Amazon to deliver parcels straight to your Audi

Amazon will soon begin piloting a service that will see parcels delivered straight to your car, saving you the need to be at home or in the office.

The online retail giant has partnered with Audi and the delivery company DHL to make car deliveries possible in the Munich area of Germany. All you do is give a rough location on where your car is and a DHL delivery person will track it down and sling your goods in the boot.

There’s no need to worry about leaving the car unlocked – this is where the connected elements of an Audi come in. Temporary access is granted at the point of delivery so only DHL can pop the trunk. The car then automatically re-locks itself once the parcel has been registered as delivered and the trunk is closed.

The trial will be rolled out to a handful of Amazon Prime customers in early May, so the rest of us will still have to pray the courier leaves your parcels in the dry if you’re not around. But there’s every chance it could become a mainstream option if it proves successful.

Volvo demoed a similar service last year in the form of Roam Delivery service. Like with Amazon and Audi, its system gives the delivery man a GPS location and a digital key that can be used by a smartphone or tablet. Said ‘key’ vanishes once the parcel is safe and sound and the boot has been shut.

Amazon EU director Michael Pasch said in an official statement: “We are working to offer Prime members a delivery location that is always available and convenient: the trunk of their car. This innovation makes shopping at Amazon even easier and more flexible. It gives customers another way to receive their orders.”

As handy as car deliveries sound, we have some concerns. Would you let a stranger into your car when you are somewhere else? Guess that depends on how much you value convenience.

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