DHL Parcel, Amazon and Audi launch pilot project for car drop delivery

DHL Parcel, Amazon and Audi are launching a new pilot project that will allow car owners to use their cars as mobile delivery addresses for their parcel shipments. In a joint statement issued today, the three companies said they will be running the test stage of the pilot project in the Munich area, working with selected customers who will be registered with Audi. The project will start in May and run for several months. The plan is then to roll out system Germany-wide.

“Using a specially developed smart phone app,” the statement explained, “the DHL delivery agent receives the exact location of the car as well as access to the vehicle’s trunk. After the deliverymen have placed the item in the trunk and closed its door, the car is then locked automatically. DHL receives confirmation via the app and the car owner is informed of the successful delivery via email.”

The companies believe that the service will be particularly attractive to commuters, who can take delivery of their packages while their cars are in the company parking lot or at a Park & Ride lot.

Jurgen Gerdes, Board Member for the Post – eCommerce – Parcel division at Deutsche Post DHL Group, said that the pilot project for car trunk delivery for private customers is “unique in the German parcel industry”. Car drop schemes have, however, been developed in other countries. In 2012, for example, start-up company Cardrops announced the launch of a pilot service in Belgium. What makes the DHL/Amazon/Audi proposition rather more compelling, however, is that it is being launched by three global industry leaders.