Gemini can reach your old XC40, but the new sensors cannot
Gemini can reach older XC40s over the air, but Volvo’s bigger screen, fresh radars, cameras and 12 ultrasonic sensors demand new hardware.
An older Volvo XC40 cannot be turned into the refreshed car with one tap. But there is one important exception: you do not need to replace the vehicle just to get Google Gemini. The AI assistant is gradually reaching previously sold Volvos with Google built-in. The larger screen, new radars, cameras and 12 ultrasonic sensors are different — that is physical hardware, and software cannot conjure it up.
Volvo has substantially upgraded the XC40, EX40 and EC40. The center display grows from 9 to 11.2 inches, while the sensor suite gains new front and corner radars, a front camera, rear corner radars, 12 new ultrasonic sensors and new parking cameras. Pilot Assist also expands, adding lane-change assistance, a door-opening warning and a 3D mode for the surround-view camera.
And this is where things get interesting. Gemini is not tightly tied to the facelift itself. Volvo began gradually rolling the new assistant out to earlier cars with Google built-in in the spring. The company does add one caveat: the exact feature set depends on the model, model year, market, installed hardware and the car’s computing power.
It is an almost perfect demonstration of where software updates stop and hardware updates begin. A new interface and voice assistant can arrive over OTA. An 11.2-inch display, extra radars, cameras and ultrasonic sensors obviously cannot.
There is another side to all that new hardware: repairs become even more dependent on correct calibration. In the instructions for the earlier XC40, Volvo explicitly requires the camera and radar to be recalibrated after a windshield replacement. Skip that step and related driver-assistance systems can become limited, shut down or react incorrectly.
So the choice between an already available XC40 and the refreshed car becomes easier if you separate software from hardware. Waiting for the facelift just for Gemini makes little sense. The new sensor package and 11.2-inch screen are another matter entirely. An older car cannot simply download those.