That being said, the Swedish car maker managed to sell no less than 21,041 cars in Russia last year, a slight drop from the previous year when 21,077 Volvo cars found a new home. The winning model was the Volvo XC90 which brought more than one-third of the total sales, an increase of 17 percent when compared to the previous year. Another popular model among the Russians was the XC70 whose sales volumes increased by 90 percent when compared with 2007.
"The broad offer of XC-vehicles in the SUV-segment made Volvo the leader in Russia: XC70 and XC90 are the key drivers of sales growth in 2008", says David Thomas, President of Volvo Car Russia.
Besides that, the new XC60 added 190 vehicles to the total sales but taking into consideration that it was introduced in 2008 which coincided with the financial crisis as well, the figures are quite satisfying. But we're not quite through with the prizes' announcements. Since Russians appreciate so much the Volvo safety features and unique design, the Volvo XC60 crossover was awarded the “Golden Klaxon” by the magazine Klaxon in January 2009.
Due to this encouraging start, Volvo feels entitled to hope for better sales this year.
"In 2009 sales of the new XC60 crossover will get up to full speed in Russia. It is expected to be another bestseller of Volvo. We can clearly see that Russian customers appreciate Volvo's premium cars, looking at sales results," says David Thomas.
So, congrats guys! You managed to conquer the Russians' hearts with your so-much praised safety features. Would it because of their well known habit of drinking Vodka... and then perhaps getting behind the wheel? In this assumed situation, they undoubtedly need safest cars on Earth. No hard feelings...
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