Photo: Volvo Cars
Volvo has 88 years of history to look back upon, but none of these 1,056 previous months registered better sales than the one that just ended two days ago.
Volvo is on a self-declared offensive, aiming to fight side-by-side with the big boys from the premium segment in a few years’ time. Or even sooner. The S90 sedan it has just launched is a clear indication of how serious it is about rivaling the likes of Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz, and if we’re to judge by the images and our recent experiences with the XC90, it’s also an indication of how close it is to its objective.
In terms of sales, however, Volvo still has some ground to cover. Even though November 2015 was the company’s best month throughout its whole history, the Swedes are trailing way behind the current segment leaders, BMW, with Mercedes-Benz yet to release its US sales figures for last month.
Let’s take the US market as a prime example, and Volvo has no reason to feel disadvantaged as this was where it registered its most spectacular growth. Compared to November 2014, the Swedish company delivered 90.5 percent more cars, reaching up a total of 6,903 units. Compared to last year’s 3,623, that’s almost double.
BMW, on the other hand, had a much less spectacular increase of just 3.2 percent, but the total number of cars (including both passenger cars and light trucks) sold during last month in the US was 32,003. If we were to add MINI as well, that number would reach 36,447.
So even though Volvo has reasons to celebrate, they still sell five times fewer cars than BMW in the one market that’s seen the most significant increase. The brand’s new direction can only bring good things, but we all know these come to those who wait, and the automotive world isn’t quite the perfect place to play it slow.
Yet, Volvo must be one of the very few (if not the only) car makers to register double digit growths on every major market including China, Western Europe, Sweden, and the US. Most of Volvo’s cars are still heading to Western Europe (15,783 units) with the home market coming in on second (8,164 units) during November, but the US is quickly rediscovering the beauty of the Scandinavian design. And it’s doing it in an IKEA showroom.
In terms of sales, however, Volvo still has some ground to cover. Even though November 2015 was the company’s best month throughout its whole history, the Swedes are trailing way behind the current segment leaders, BMW, with Mercedes-Benz yet to release its US sales figures for last month.
Let’s take the US market as a prime example, and Volvo has no reason to feel disadvantaged as this was where it registered its most spectacular growth. Compared to November 2014, the Swedish company delivered 90.5 percent more cars, reaching up a total of 6,903 units. Compared to last year’s 3,623, that’s almost double.
BMW, on the other hand, had a much less spectacular increase of just 3.2 percent, but the total number of cars (including both passenger cars and light trucks) sold during last month in the US was 32,003. If we were to add MINI as well, that number would reach 36,447.
So even though Volvo has reasons to celebrate, they still sell five times fewer cars than BMW in the one market that’s seen the most significant increase. The brand’s new direction can only bring good things, but we all know these come to those who wait, and the automotive world isn’t quite the perfect place to play it slow.
Yet, Volvo must be one of the very few (if not the only) car makers to register double digit growths on every major market including China, Western Europe, Sweden, and the US. Most of Volvo’s cars are still heading to Western Europe (15,783 units) with the home market coming in on second (8,164 units) during November, but the US is quickly rediscovering the beauty of the Scandinavian design. And it’s doing it in an IKEA showroom.
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