About Volvo

Glady Reign asked:



Ford’s Swedish luxury brand earlier unleashed a new sport utility vehicle that signaled the beginning of a more pumped-up aura of Volvo cars.

Steve Mattin, Volvo Cars design director said the car embodies “the DNA of future Volvos”. He added, “We’re about to elevate Volvo’s DNA to new levels by pumping up the volume. It takes the emotion of the C30 a step further.” The Volvo XC60, revealed by Volvo at the recently-held North American International Auto Show in Detroit, is said to evoke brand new styling and design of the forthcoming lineup of the automaker.

The SUV features a glass roof, a mechanical tailgate, 20-inch rims, a new shifting mechanism and a newly styled grille. The larger Volvo logo contributed to the bolder look of the vehicle. It is also given a distinct rear end to emphasize the tailgate as well as the Volvo logo.

“If you can recognize a Volvo from 50 meters today, I want to get to the point where people will be able to spot one from twice the distance in the future,” Mattin added. “We need to be recognizable as Volvo. We’re still about Scandinavian simplicity; we can’t be playful or do styling for the sake of styling. Volvos last a long time, so our design must have legs. But we can’t be too simple or we’d edge toward blandness. And we can’t just change; we must be fresh. I want to broaden our design and have more variation between car lines.”

Volvo Car president Fredrik Arp added that the Volvo XC60 would likely be “the C30 owner’s next car”. The production version of the SUV would be very identical to the concept. Mattin said it was designed to be like “a giant iPod”.

The vehicle is carefully engineered so as not to compromise the traditional Volvo safety aspects. Volvo enthusiasts could still expect Volvo auto care that features a low-speed adaptive braking system called City Safety. The safety feature prevents the Volvo XC60 from running into the car in front at low speeds. The SUV is also given Volvo’s 3.-litre 6-cylinder flex-fuel engine, which allows ethanol to be used instead of petrol. The new engine cuts emissions by up to 80 per cent.

“Our V8 package feels immensely solid. When it comes to power and performance, we’re in the same class as the very best in the segment. What’s more, we’re sure that a large proportion of these customers will appreciate the fact that the power and driveability can be combined with high safety and good environmental properties. It’s important that we can launch a V8 without compromising on our core values,” said Hans-Olov Olsson, Volvo Cars’ President and CEO.

The Volvo XC60 is the automaker’s entry to the fastest-growing sector of the automotive market. Volvo expects that the new SUV will boost global sales by 75 per cent to 443,000 cars in the next couple of years. The automaker expects that the Volvo XC60 will also attract more buyers especially the young and active urbanites. Arp added that the Volvo XC60 will be as important as the Volvo C30 in expanding the brand’s sales. He also added that the concept is a good indicator of what the production model will look like.

Volvo is delivering the Volvo XC60 with high hopes same as its 240 model. The latter uses exceptional Volvo 240 parts to enhance its capabilities and functionality. The Volvo 240 was the best-selling car of the automaker. From 1975 to 1982, the Volvo 240 is the only vehicle from Volvo that is imported to the United States. That’s the measure of the Volvo 240’s global popularity.

Bertha

Glady Reign asked:



The Swedish car manufacturer’s arm in North America recently reported their sales figures for the month of May. Volvo Cars of North America, LLC reported that they have sold 9,208 cars and light trucks in the United States and Puerto Rico combined. The said sales output marks a decrease of 9.2 percent as compared to the number of vehicles they sold for the same month last year.

Including Canada and Mexico, the total sales for Volvo Cars of North America is reported to be 10,636 units. That sales output represents an 8.4 percent reduction compared to May of last year’s sales output. In Canada, Volvo sales are down by 5 percent while in Mexico, sales increased by 10.5 percent. In Canada, Volvo sold 1,166 cars and light trucks while in Mexico, sales amounted to 263 units.

The midsize luxury crossover SUV is still the best selling auto model for Volvo in the United States, including Puerto Rico, and Canada. In Mexico, the best selling car model for Volvo is the S40.

Volvo sold 2,626 units of the XC90 in the United States including Puerto Rico. The increasing popularity of the crossover SUV is reflected in the 8.8 percent sales increase. While the month of May saw an increase in the sale of the XC90, year to date sale is down by 4.8 percent. Last year’s first five months saw Volvo sell 13,563 Volvo XC90s which are known for their safety and smooth ride thanks to Volvo shocks. After five months this year, Volvo has only managed to sell 12,914 units of the XC90.

In Canada, the XC90 suffered a sales decrease of 24.2 percent. Volvo sold 229 units of the XC90 in Canada last month and that number is lower than the 302 units they have sold in the country last year for the same month. Year to date sale is also reduced by 24.4 percent. From last year’s 1,294 units of the XC90 sold for the first five months, Volvo has only managed to sell 978 units of the XC90 after five months this year.

In Mexico, the best-selling car model is the S40 although the demand for it has decreased. Last month, Volvo sold 91 units of the S40 and that number is down by 20.2 percent as compared to May of last year’s 114 units sold. The XC90 in Mexico meanwhile is steadily gaining ground with an increase in sale of 2.4 percent when Volvo sold two more XC90 last month than on May of 2006. Volvo sold 87 units of the XC90 last month and 85 units last year for the month of May.

In the United States, the highest gainer in Volvo’s lineup last month is the convertible C70. Volvo sold 572 units of the convertible last month, 1,872 percent more than the 29 C70s sold last year for the same month. In Canada, the highest gainer is the luxury sedan S80 with 177.8 percent more units sold this year’s May than last year’s. Volvo sold 75 units of the S80 in Canada last month while last year, they only sold 27 S80s for the month of May. In Mexico, the XC90 is the highest gainer. Volvo’s sale in Mexico is helped by the introduction of the S80 and the C30 at the said country.

Adam