USA - OCTOBER SALES - Volvo Cars.

Volvo Cars of North America, LLC, (VCNA) reported U.S. sales of 3,972 units for the month of October, a 1.4 percent increase month-over-month. Year-to-date sales are down 8.2 percent versus the first ten months of 2013.  

The top seller for October was the XC60 crossover with 1,653 units sold, an increase of 32.9 percent versus October 2013. The S60 finished the month in second place with 1,127 units sold.

Recently revealed to much acclaim, the all-new XC90 will begin production at the end of January 2015. With world-leading safety features, an unrivalled combination of power and fuel efficiency, including the world’s first seven-seat plug-in hybrid, and a striking design, it will signal a new era of success for Volvo Car

GLOBAL - OCTOBER SALES - Volvo

• Global sales of 40,680 cars, up 12.6 per cent versus October last year
• Volvo Cars’ 16^th consecutive month of growth
• Year-to-date sales of 379,880 cars, an increase of 9.5 per cent versus 2013

Volvo Cars posted a 16^th consecutive month of retail sales growth in October, with China, Europe and the United States all recording a sales increase compared to October 2013.

China, Volvo Cars’ largest market, reported October sales of 6,917 cars, up 36 per cent versus October last year and the accumulated sales result for the first ten months of the year has already passed the full year result for 2013. The Volvo S60L sedan was the best-selling model followed closely by the XC60 crossover.

In Sweden, Volvo Cars sold 6,609 cars, up 30 per cent from the same month last year. The market share was 22.3 per cent with four Volvo models on the top 10 list of best-selling cars.

Volvo Cars continued its strong performance in Europe in October, where sales rose 12.1 per cent versus October last year. The UK market was the main growth driver where sales of the Volvo XC60 more than doubled versus last year. 

Germany and all Southern European markets also reported positive developments. The V40 remains the best-selling Volvo model in Europe, helped by its strong and class-leading line-up of Drive-E engines.

The United States was up by 1.4 per cent to 3,972 cars making it Volvo Cars’ third-largest individual market in October. The Volvo S60 and XC60 models were the best-selling models during the month.

“It’s very encouraging to see that all of our top five markets reported growth for the month which is a clear sign of a strong product offer,” says Alain Visser, Senior Vice President Marketing, Sales and Customer Service at Volvo Cars. “I’m also looking forward to see the reactions on what we will reveal at the upcoming motor shows in Los Angeles and Guangzhou this month.”

Retail sales status (deliveries to end customers) for Volvo Car Group is as follows:

	October				January – October
	2013	2014	Change		2013	2014	Change
China	5 086	6 917	36,0%		48 466	65 827	35,8%
USA	3 919	3 972	1,4%		52 112	47 828	-8,2%
Sweden	5 084	6 609	30,0%		41 409	49 374	19,2%
Western Europe*	14 854	16 652	12,1%		134 084	147 500	10,0%
Other markets	7 184	6 530	-9,1%		70 773	69 351	-2,0%
TOTAL	36 127	40 680	12,6%		346 844	379 880	9,5%
*excluding Sweden

The Volvo XC60 was the best-selling model in October with 11,895 sold cars (2013: 9,954), followed by the Volvo V40 and V40 Cross Country for which deliveries reached a total of 9,981 cars (9,489). The third best-selling model was the Volvo V60 with 5,977 cars (5,170). Sales figures by model can be found in the Sales Volumes section of the Global Newsroom.

Volvo sees China as the place to be, with increased sales and new plants.

Volvo Cars forecasts record sales of at least 80,000 cars in China in 2014

China is poised to replace the US as Volvo Car Group’s (Volvo Cars) largest market in 2014 with sales of at least 80,000 cars, up from 61,146 in 2013, highlighting the company’s growing presence in the world’s fastest growing automobile market. Sales in the US in 2014 are expected to increase in line with the broader market.

The emergence of China as Volvo Cars’ leading market represents an important step towards the company’s long term goal of selling 800,000 cars a year and promises to break a 20 year cycle during which it has consistently sold around 400,000 cars a year.

“Growing demand for first-class safety and environmental performance makes Volvo an ever more attractive brand in the Chinese marketplace,” said Håkan Samuelsson, President and CEO. “As a company at the forefront of technological and environmental developments, Volvo Cars is well placed to enhance its reputation as a premium brand and further strengthen its position in China.”

The premium segment of the car market in China is forecast to grow by 20 per cent this year. Volvo Cars expects to outpace this growth, indicating it is gaining market share from its competitors. Volvo Cars’ confidence is borne out by first quarter sales figures for the China market, which reveal sales rose 25.4 per cent compared to the first quarter of 2013, to 17,286 cars.

During the first quarter, the Volvo XC60 SUV was the best-selling model, followed by the S60L long wheelbase sedan and V40 hatchback. The sales start of the V40 Cross Country as well as an ongoing expansion of the dealer network will further support Volvo Cars’ continued growth in China.

The Volvo S60L Petrol Plug-in Hybrid

At the Beijing Motor Show, Volvo Cars also officially debuts the Volvo S60L Petrol Plug-in Hybrid (PPHEV), underlining its commitment to bringing electrification technology to China. The ingenious petrol plug-in hybrid – an electric car, hybrid car and high-performance car all rolled into one – offers the driver an outstanding combination of dynamic driving pleasure and superb fuel economy.

The S60L PPHEV features the same electrification technology as the Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid, the world’s first diesel plug-in hybrid, which has been a groundbreaking success in Europe.

“Creating a powertrain that offers 306 horsepower by blending a 238 horsepower petrol turbo from our new four-cylinder Drive-E engine family with a 68 horsepower electric motor, proves that the most efficient car can also be the most fun to drive. This is our most technologically advanced powertrain ever. It brings us closer to our vision to offer zero emission motoring in the future,” said Håkan Samuelsson.

The S60L Petrol Plug-in Hybrid, with an exceptionally CO2-efficient 238 horsepower Drive-E petrol turbo paired with plug-in hybrid technology, will be launched in China early 2015. The car will be built in the Chengdu plant, which already now produces the petrol-powered Volvo S60L.

Daqing production

Volvo Cars can now also confirm that the first car to be assembled in the Daqing plant in northeastern China will be the Volvo XC Classic, a locally-built variant of the current Volvo XC90, production of which in the Torslanda plant in Sweden will cease this summer. The XC Classic will be sold solely in the Chinese market after its launch later this year. Other models to be built in the Daqing plant will be confirmed at a later stage.