Photo: Volvo
As you already know, Volvo is controlled by a Chinese automaker called Geely. And under the supervision of Geely, the Swedish automaker got from zero to an all-time high, selling more cars than ever in more places around the globe than ever.
The S90 mid-size sedan on sale in the United States of America, for example, is made at the Daqing plant in the People’s Republic. The XC40 crossover, on the other hand, is manufactured in Belgium. Having said these, let’s move on to a gentleman called Robin Page, whose title is that of Volvo vice-president of design.
Care to guess what Mr. Page told Go Auto in a recent interview? According to the cited publication, “he also said the vehicles manufactured in China are now at a higher quality than in Europe.” Bearing in mind your iPhone and many more desirables are assembled in the Middle Kingdom, Page’s statement doesn’t sound out of context.
But on the other hand, does that also mean the XC40 from Belgium is manufactured at a lower quality than the China-built S90? Most likely not, but the choice of words and viewpoints on quality is best left to the PR department, not the automaker’s designers. Or better still, to the people who are paid to ensure that quality is cohesive across the range, regardless of the country where the vehicle is produced.
But wait, there’s more! “What we’re finding is that the quality of the cars are actually better in China than they are in Europe (…) They’ve got more people on it, less automation, which actually gives you that ability to get tighter on the tolerances … and make finer adjustments.”
Although it’s not obvious at first glance, Mr. Page refers to the strict quality control demanded by Western automakers in Chinese factories. With the product made in China, the labor costs are lower than in Europe, which means there’s more money to spend on ensuring the high standard of quality on the assembly line.
On that note, Volvo’s first CMA-based EV will start production at the Luqiao plant sometime in 2019.
Care to guess what Mr. Page told Go Auto in a recent interview? According to the cited publication, “he also said the vehicles manufactured in China are now at a higher quality than in Europe.” Bearing in mind your iPhone and many more desirables are assembled in the Middle Kingdom, Page’s statement doesn’t sound out of context.
But on the other hand, does that also mean the XC40 from Belgium is manufactured at a lower quality than the China-built S90? Most likely not, but the choice of words and viewpoints on quality is best left to the PR department, not the automaker’s designers. Or better still, to the people who are paid to ensure that quality is cohesive across the range, regardless of the country where the vehicle is produced.
But wait, there’s more! “What we’re finding is that the quality of the cars are actually better in China than they are in Europe (…) They’ve got more people on it, less automation, which actually gives you that ability to get tighter on the tolerances … and make finer adjustments.”
Although it’s not obvious at first glance, Mr. Page refers to the strict quality control demanded by Western automakers in Chinese factories. With the product made in China, the labor costs are lower than in Europe, which means there’s more money to spend on ensuring the high standard of quality on the assembly line.
On that note, Volvo’s first CMA-based EV will start production at the Luqiao plant sometime in 2019.
Google News