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Volvo Car Press Releases A selection of press releases from The Volvo Car Corporation

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Volvo Car Corporation achieves a profit for the third quarte

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Old Dec 23rd, 2010, 15:30   #11
nomashedswede
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Ford weren't much better for Volvo than GM were for SAAB. During their ownership they cancelled many projects Volvo had going, such as the converting of their modular engine range to gasoline direct injection and many other things. What Ford did was raid Volvo of all its safety knowhow and use it for their own range of cars, particularly for the US. It also can't be argued that Volvo quality is nowhere what it used to be since the Ford based models started rolling out. Everything now feels built down to a price and ergonomic design seems to have gone out the window.

Ford helped Land Rover out a good bit because the company was basically a basketcase when they were acquired. In my opinion they did very little for Volvo except make them loss making and move the brand downmarket.
I chose my words carefully - "as a business".
Volvo were going nowhere "as a business", until Ford stepped in. They now have good, modern products that have a mass market appeal, and are selling. Volvo could not have made anywhere near the investment to bring one new model range, let alone the 4 that have come about recently. Add the background of ever increasing regulation on emissions, etc., and an independent Volvo would have become a defunct manufacturer. Whoever had brought Volvo at the time, would have done something similar to Ford, or raped them for their R & D, and got rid ( as per BMW and Land Rover), without putting in any significant investment.
I, like I suspect most members of this forum, lament the "mass market commercialisation" of the brand. It flies in the face of what we all value so much about our cars, but, unfortunately, these are the hard facts.
Think about this business model;
You decide you want to start a car business. Your aims are to produce a well engineered product, build it very well, so it is both reliable, requiring minimum maintainence, design life of 20 years, and capable of huge mileages. Your customers are so happy they keep their cars for 10 years instead of 3 ! Your dealers are getting fat because your loyal customers maintain their cars, and the dealers profits are in the workshop not the showroom. Your cars are internationally acknowledged for their quality. Everybody loves you, and the economics are brilliant for everybody - EXCEPT you the manufacturer. You maintain a parts back catalogue for 20 years to support your customers cars. This isn`t great though, because your parts are good quality too, and last longer than the industry norm. You nearly always get repeat customers - but once every 10 years, won`t sustain your business.
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Old Dec 24th, 2010, 11:39   #12
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I've only ever driven a V40 but I guess if it wasn't for Ford then I probably wouldn't even be driving that. We may not agree with everything they have done and how the brand has changed but at least the brand remains and I reckon with Geely it will grow and start to build more on what once made it great. Afterall its not the Chinese that decide to make cheap stuff, someone in this country says 'Build me this for X' and then signs off on the end product!
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Old Dec 24th, 2010, 16:41   #13
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I've only ever driven a V40 but I guess if it wasn't for Ford then I probably wouldn't even be driving that.
The V40 was launched some three years before Ford took over and is in fact based on the Mitsubishi Carisma. Like all Volvos launched in the late 90's/early 2000's, there is not a hint of Ford in it.

I understand how Volvo AB needed to sell the car business and all, as it was simply too small to survive on its own. I do however think that Ford took their eye off the ball around 2005 and allowed the company to become loss making. All of the successful cars in recent years that people think were produced by Ford (S60, XC90 etc) were actually Volvo's last independently produced models. It should also be ackknowledged that Ford pinched a load Volvo technology that went towards producing some of the successful models they have today (Ford Focus ST/RS and the majority of their US range).
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Old Dec 24th, 2010, 18:14   #14
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The V40 was launched some three years before Ford took over and is in fact based on the Mitsubishi Carisma. Like all Volvos launched in the late 90's/early 2000's, there is not a hint of Ford in it.

I understand how Volvo AB needed to sell the car business and all, as it was simply too small to survive on its own. I do however think that Ford took their eye off the ball around 2005 and allowed the company to become loss making. All of the successful cars in recent years that people think were produced by Ford (S60, XC90 etc) were actually Volvo's last independently produced models. It should also be ackknowledged that Ford pinched a load Volvo technology that went towards producing some of the successful models they have today (Ford Focus ST/RS and the majority of their US range).
I agree completely with your point regarding the S60 and XC90, but my point is that Ford provided both the financial backing, and backed the Volvo design team to allow these cars to come to fruition. GM cancelled all Saab`s design work, and said "heres a Vectra and some assorted engines and transmissions, badge engineer them" Without Ford the S60 etc. would not have seen the light of day, and credit should be given for that.
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Old Dec 24th, 2010, 21:18   #15
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I agree completely with your point regarding the S60 and XC90, but my point is that Ford provided both the financial backing, and backed the Volvo design team to allow these cars to come to fruition. GM cancelled all Saab`s design work, and said "heres a Vectra and some assorted engines and transmissions, badge engineer them" Without Ford the S60 etc. would not have seen the light of day, and credit should be given for that.
Yeah, I see where you're coming from. I can't help thinking though how much better the current Ford based S80 and V70 should have been.
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Old Dec 24th, 2010, 23:40   #16
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Yeah, I see where you're coming from. I can't help thinking though how much better the current Ford based S80 and V70 should have been.
Not to mention the S40 and V50, which, looks aside, manage to be inferior products to the Focus !
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Old Dec 25th, 2010, 17:15   #17
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The V40 was launched some three years before Ford took over and is in fact based on the Mitsubishi Carisma. Like all Volvos launched in the late 90's/early 2000's, there is not a hint of Ford in it.

I understand how Volvo AB needed to sell the car business and all, as it was simply too small to survive on its own. I do however think that Ford took their eye off the ball around 2005 and allowed the company to become loss making. All of the successful cars in recent years that people think were produced by Ford (S60, XC90 etc) were actually Volvo's last independently produced models. It should also be ackknowledged that Ford pinched a load Volvo technology that went towards producing some of the successful models they have today (Ford Focus ST/RS and the majority of their US range).
True, but if Ford didnt buy Volvo etc then I'm pretty sure that they wouldn't have been around as an active manufacturer 2 yrs ago and I wouldn't have gone to my local stealer and bought my V40 for far more than I should have :-)

Last edited by wpg100; Dec 25th, 2010 at 19:11.
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