USA SALES MARCH - The Swedish Giant grows with a huge 15.9% increase on last years numbers.

Volvo Car USA, LLC, (VCUSA) reported U.S. sales of 6,857 vehicles, a 15.9 percent increase versus March 2015. The ninth month of double digit growth was led by the award winning XC90 luxury SUV with 3,000 vehicles sold. Year-to-date sales are up 19.2 percent.

“Our sales streak is certainly something we are proud of, led by the acclaimed XC90,” said Lex Kerssemakers, President and CEO of Volvo Car USA. “We just started taking pre-orders for the S90 luxury sedan, which we will arrive in dealerships this summer. Along with this, we launched the S90 concierge program to give our customers a personal contact throughout the purchase process.”

Volvo is implementing a sweeping $11 billion transformation plan that has involved the development of its own modular vehicle architecture, a new engine range, global manufacturing capability, a completely renewed product range and world leading developments in safety, autonomous driving and connectivity.

USA SALES FEBRUARY - Volvo grows again making eight straight months of double digit growth.

• Posts Eighth Month of Double Digit Sales Growth

Volvo Car USA, LLC, (VCUSA) reported U.S. sales of 5,260 vehicles, a 33.1 percent increase versus February 2015. The top seller for the month was the award winning XC90 luxury SUV with 2,472 vehicles sold, a four percent increase versus January 2016. Year-to-date sales are up 21.8 percent.

“The XC90 continues to contribute to our sales momentum, and we have yet to reach its full potential,” said Lex Kerssemakers, President and CEO of Volvo Car USA. “Over the next few months it will be joined by the S90 luxury sedan and the top-of-the-line four seat XC90 Excellence, with the newly-unveiled V90 following later.”

Volvo is implementing a sweeping $11 billion transformation plan that has involved the development of its own modular vehicle architecture, a new engine range, global manufacturing capability, a completely renewed product range and world leading developments in safety, autonomous driving and connectivity.

Volvo will recall 59,000 cars after their engines stopped and restarted while they were driving.

Volvo Car Group will recall 59,000 cars after some owners experienced their engines stopping and restarting while they were driving.

"The software issue may cause the engine and electronics to restart during the course of a second while driving," Volvo spokesman Stefan Elfstrom told Automotive News Europe in an email. "We have no reports of accidents."

Elfstrom said there was no information available yet regarding the exact conditions when the restart occurs.

The recall affects 2016 five-cylinder diesel versions of Volvo's 60- and 70-series models (see full list, below).

Elfstrom said 97 percent of the affected cars are in Europe. About 24,000 of the vehicles are in Sweden. The UK is second on the list with 7,000 models affected by the recall followed by Germany's 6,000. No models in the U.S. or China are included in the recall.

Volvo is asking owners of the cars to take their vehicles to dealers, where corrected software will be downloaded at no cost. "This takes no more than 30 minutes," Elfstrom said. "The first customer cars have already been updated with the new software."

The 2016 5-cylinder diesel Volvos affected by the recall:

S60, S60 Cross Country

V60, V60 Cross Country, XC60

V70, XC70

Automotive News

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USA SALES JANUARY - Volvo storms up the sales charts with solid growth led by the new XC90, from 38 to 2375

• Continues double digit growth into 2016

Volvo Car USA, LLC, (VCUSA) reported U.S. sales of 4,244 units, an 11.9 percent increase versus January 2015. The top seller for the month was the award winning XC90 luxury SUV with 2,375 units sold.

“This is the seventh consecutive month of double digit growth here in the US,” said Lex Kerssemakers, President and CEO of Volvo Car USA. “The XC90 continues to contribute to this growth, and the industry has certainly agreed by awarding it virtually every honor including the 2016 North American Truck of the Year.”

Following an $11 billion investment, the positive momentum has materialized with the first all-new model off the Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) platform, the XC90, with world-first safety technologies, a new design language, new powertrain architecture and a range of class-leading connectivity services.

USA SALES AUGUST - VOLVO - The XC90 contributes to a large rise in sales for the Swedish brand.

• Continuing demand for XC60, XC90 lead to 18.3 percent increase

Volvo Cars of North America, LLC, (VCNA) reported U.S. sales of 5,869 units, an 18.3 percent increase versus August 2014. Year-to-date sales are up 4.3 percent over the first eight months of 2014.

The top seller for the month was the XC60 crossover with 2,361 units sold, a 31.8 percent increase versus August 2014 and a 33.4 percent increase year-to-date.

“We have seen strong performance across the Volvo range driven by increased brand awareness,” said Lex Kerssemakers, Senior Vice President Americas and President and CEO of Volvo Cars of North America. “This was supported by the first XC90 deliveries and a reenergized retailer network.”

Following an $11 billion investment, the positive momentum has materialized with the first all-new model off the Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) platform, the XC90, with world-first safety technologies, a new design language, new powertrain architecture and a range of class-leading connectivity services.

Volvo announces income, sales and profits for the first half of 2015 - and the growth continues.

Volvo Car Group, the premium car maker, has reported an operating profit of SEK1,660m for the first half of 2015, compared to SEK968m* for the same period in 2014. Revenue for the first half was SEK75,215m, up from SEK66,982m* in the first half of 2014. 

Retail sales during the first six months of 2015 were 232,284 cars, up slightly compared to 229,013 in the same period last year, driven primarily by strong demand in Europe. Sales in China were flat while sales in the United States stabilized during the period.

“It has been a good first half of the year, with an improved financial performance,” said Håkan Samuelsson, President and Chief Executive. 

“We have been implementing a transformation plan since 2010 and this financial result demonstrates that we continue to be on the right track. For the full year, we expect a substantial increase in profits."

Volvo is investing in a global transformation as part of its long term strategic ambition to enhance its position as a global premium car maker. Driven by the complete renewal of its product range, Volvo is aiming to almost double sales to around 800,000 cars a year in the medium term.

In the first six months of 2015, Volvo Cars took several important steps towards achieving these goals.

The company started production of the new Volvo XC90, the first of its new generation of cars on its SPA platform. So far, the company has received close to 57,000 orders and started delivering the car to customers in the spring. 

In May, a third shift was introduced at the Torslanda plant in Sweden, creating nearly 1,500 new manufacturing jobs.

In the first half, Volvo also announced it will build a new manufacturing facility in South Carolina. 

Construction on the USD500m plant near Charleston will start this fall and the new facility will have initial production of around 100,000 cars per year and be completed by 2018.

Full results for the first half of 2015 will be revealed today at 10:00 CET during a press conference at the Volvo Showroom in Kungsträdgården, Stockholm. 

* The comparative figures for 2014 are restated, as Volvo Cars gained control over the Chinese industrial entities and consolidated them into Volvo Car Group as of January 1, 2015. 

As the incorporation of these entities is a common control transaction, Volvo Car Group has elected to apply predecessor accounting, meaning that the comparative information is presented as if the incorporated entities had always been controlled by Volvo Car Group. 

More information can be found in the Group's Interim Report First Half Year 2015.

JD Power ranks VOLVO as best in customer satisfaction amongst the premium brands.

• J.D. Power Reports: Volvo Ranks Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Premium Brands, Honda Ranks Highest Among Volume Brands in Inaugural UK Study
• Highly  Satisfied  Service  Experience Drives Customers  Back  to  the  Dealer  for  Service and Sales

Volvo ranks highest among premium brands and Honda ranks highest among volume brands in UK customer satisfaction with vehicle service, according to the J.D. Power 2015 UK Customer Service Index (CSI) Study^SM released today.

The inaugural study measures UK customer satisfaction with their service experience at a franchised dealer facility for maintenance and repair work. 

The study explores customer satisfaction with their service dealer by examining five measures (listed in order of importance): service quality (26%); service initiation (23%); service advisor (19%); vehicle pick-up (17%); and service facility (16%). Satisfaction is calculated on a 1,000-point scale.

The CSI Study is a comprehensive analysis of the vehicle service experience and is conducted by J.D. Power in 16 countries worldwide, providing detailed after-sales solutions for automakers and dealerships. 

Volvo ranks highest among premium brands in satisfaction with a score of 779. Volvo is followed by Land Rover (767) and Audi (762). 

Honda ranks highest among volume brands in satisfaction with a score of 768.

 Suzuki and Toyota rank second in a tie (759 each), and Kia and Skoda rank fourth in a tie (758 each).

“The common perception is that the luxury brands are able to deliver a more satisfying customer experience, but the study shows this is not the case,” said Dr. Axel Sprenger, senior director of European automotive operations at J.D. Power.

“Any brand and any dealership can provide a consistently positive customer experience if they make it a priority and have the people and processes in place.  When they do, they likely will see an increase in revenue and will be able to build customer loyalty.”

The 2015 UK CSI Study finds that satisfaction with dealer service leads to customer loyalty and advocacy. 

Among the 20 percent of customers who are highly satisfied with their dealer service (overall satisfaction scores of 900 and above), 78 percent say they “definitely will” purchase their next vehicle from that dealer and 85 percent “definitely will” recommend the dealer to friends and family. 

In contrast, among customers less satisfied (scores of 700-899), only 36 percent indicate an intention to purchase their next vehicle from that dealer, and only 42 percent say they “definitely will” recommend the dealer to others.

KEY FINDINGS

• Satisfaction among the 93 percent of customers who are able to get an appointment on the day they desire averages 768, compared with 576 when an appointment is not available on their desired day.
• While 25 percent of customers would prefer to schedule a service appointment over the Internet, only 15 percent actually do. The Internet as a method to schedule an appointment is expected to increase with the emergence of mobile apps, which make the process faster and easier.
• The No. 1 reason for choosing a dealer for service is prior experience with the service department (35%), followed by location (34%) and prior experience with the sales department (32%). Fewer than 3 percent of customers indicate selecting their service facility due to advertising or promotions/coupons.
• Though only 31 percent of dealers recommend additional service work to their customers, when they do, 62 percent of customers have the recommended work done. Satisfaction is substantially higher among the 78 percent of customers who are recommended service and have it done, compared with those who do not have the recommended work done (760 vs. 693, respectively).
• On average, customers who accept additional work on their vehicle spend £347 on their service visit, compared with £189 among those who do not receive additional work recommendations. 
• Amenities offered at the dealership are key drivers of satisfaction with the service facility, as 24 percent of customers stay at the dealership while service is performed on their vehicle.

The 2015 UK Customer Service Index Study is based on 9,091 respondents who purchased their new vehicle between April 2012 and March 2014. The study was fielded between March and May 2015.

USA SALES JULY - VOLVO - V60, XC60 and XC90 push Volvo USA into even more growth

Strong demand for XC60, XC90 lead to 14.8 percent increase

Volvo Cars of North America, LLC, (VCNA) reported U.S. sales of 5,619 units, a 14.8 percent increase versus July 2014. Year-to-date sales are up 2 percent over the first seven months of 2014.

The top seller for the month was the XC60 crossover with 2,146 units sold, a 23.9 percent increase versus July 2014. The all-new XC90 luxury SUV finished the month in the second spot with 1,176 units sold, while strong demand continues.

“The positive U.S. sales results for this month is very encouraging and part of the planned growth in the market,” said Lex Kerssemakers, Senior Vice President, Americas. 

“The XC90 has been extremely well received, coupled with the strong increases for our other models, we are at the forefront of the transformation of our U.S. business.”

Following an $11 billion investment, the positive momentum has materialized with the first all-new model off the Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) platform, the XC90, with world-first safety technologies, a new design language, new powertrain architecture and a range of class-leading connectivity services.