How is Volvo possibly still in business?

[RobotDoctor]

I owned a 2012 S60 T5 and it was an outstanding car. My car was meticulously maintained and I had virtually no issues with my car after 127,800+ miles. The only issue was a broken driver’s seat cable (right side) that is used to adjust the seat forward and backwards. This was replaced under warranty. Unfortunately my S60 was involved in a hit and run accident in NOLA last March. I had no issue with the engine/transmission/brake system/exhaust system or anything mechanical. I also didn’t have any issues with the seats or any interior item. I purchased my S60 through the Costco auto purchase program and was able to pick options ala cart so my car was truly unique. My S60 was simply the most reliable car I had ever owned. The sear comfort was also the best of any car I’ve ever owned, including my 2019 F36. While the seats in my current car (F36) are comfortable they are just not quite as comfortable as my 2012 S60. All in all my Volvo S60 was truly a great car.

[M5Rick]

Never owned or drove a Volvo, the main thinking in my fold is that people who have little or no confidence in their driving skills buy these in case if they are in an accident they will have more chance to survive because of the safety features, never mind the victims of their lack of driving prowess.
Also the decades old thinking that its an old mans car still sticks.

[NikMN]

Driving skills and prowess. That's cute

[RobotDoctor]

Originally Posted by M5Rick

Never owned or drove a Volvo, the main thinking in my fold is that people who have little or no confidence in their driving skills buy these in case if they are in an accident they will have more chance to survive because of the safety features, never mind the victims of their lack of driving prowess.
Also the decades old thinking that its an old mans car still sticks.

As a former S60 owner, I'm very confident with my driving skills. Sometimes the reasons for a person to own a Volvo might not match to preconceived biases based in ridiculous notions. Just saying.

[ASAP]

I think a combo of being Chinese owned, little excitement in the model lineup and pretty poor reliability make these non starters for most folks. I don't have much experience w Volvo at all but as a child, I always saw them up there w bmw and mercedes... now I cant even tell you what models they make.

I did play w one of their infotainment systems at a dealer that was combined w mercedes and I thought it was the biggest piece of junk I've touched in a long time... that vertical screen is awful.

[carseatsm5]

As far as I noticed, Volvo was going nowhere until the XC90 which emerged as a favorite among 30-something moms. Good looking car.

Always seemed like a quality brand when I was a kid but these days no chance I’d buy anything associated with Geely.

[RobotDoctor]

Originally Posted by carseatsm5

As far as I noticed, Volvo was going nowhere until the XC90 which emerged as a favorite among 30-something moms. Good looking car.

Always seemed like a quality brand when I was a kid but these days no chance I’d buy anything associated with Geely.

I totally agree with this thought. I loved my S60. It was a sporty car with 250 hp / 266 ft/lbs torque. It had enough power to go when I needed it to go and it had really good ride characteristics. Mine was purchasd pre-Geely. Probably the main reason I didn't look at a late model S60 was Geely. Then again I'm very pleased with my F36 and absolutely love it. It's definitely a different class of car.

[Car-Addicted]

Originally Posted by carseatsm5

As far as I noticed, Volvo was going nowhere until the XC90 which emerged as a favorite among 30-something moms.

99% of 30-something moms have no taste in automobiles.

That said a couple Volvo facts:
1959 Debuted 3-point safety belt with open patent.
1964 Volvo tests the world's first rear-facing child safety seat.
1976 Lambdasonde (oxygen probe) is introduced by Volvo

Owned two V70's and while they were not very exciting cars, they were crazy dependable and cheap to run.

[Tacoma]

Originally Posted by carseatsm5

As far as I noticed, Volvo was going nowhere until the XC90 which emerged as a favorite among 30-something moms. Good looking car.

Always seemed like a quality brand when I was a kid but these days no chance I’d buy anything associated with Geely.

China bashing is a popular trend these days but Volvo Executive Erik Severinson said "We have a lot of freedom as a brand to develop our own products" and Volvo and Geely will cooperate only “where it makes sense.” So the heart and soul of Volvo remains with Volvo.

According to Ward's Auto: "More than a decade later, Chinese ownership has helped change Volvo from a money-losing albatross to a trend-setting electric-vehicle manufacturer." Indeed, Volvo Cars just reported its 14th consecutive month of growth as global sales, so not only are they still in business but they're doing better than the good old days before Geely that some reminisce fondly about.

As for concerns regarding reliability, according to the 2023 US Vehicle Dependability Study, Volvo ranks ahead of VW, Mercedes and Audi, and also Tata (India) owned Jaguar and Land Rover too. Just saying.

And speaking of VW, brand chief Thomas Schaefer recently warned Volkswagen’s original brand [VW] is “no longer competitive” and is planning big layoffs. Maybe this thread title should be renamed 'How is VW possibly still in business?' and they should sell to Geely to get back in shape.

[Burrcold]

Originally Posted by Tacoma

China bashing is a popular trend these days but Volvo Executive Erik Severinson said "We have a lot of freedom as a brand to develop our own products" and Volvo and Geely will cooperate only “where it makes sense.” So the heart and soul of Volvo remains with Volvo.

According to Ward's Auto: "More than a decade later, Chinese ownership has helped change Volvo from a money-losing albatross to a trend-setting electric-vehicle manufacturer." Indeed, Volvo Cars just reported its 14th consecutive month of growth as global sales, so not only are they still in business but they're doing better than the good old days before Geely that some reminisce fondly about.

As for concerns regarding reliability, according to the 2023 US Vehicle Dependability Study, Volvo ranks ahead of VW, Mercedes and Audi, and also Tata (India) owned Jaguar and Land Rover too. Just saying.

And speaking of VW, brand chief Thomas Schaefer recently warned Volkswagen’s original brand [VW] is “no longer competitive” and is planning big layoffs. Maybe this thread title should be renamed 'How is VW possibly still in business?' and they should sell to Geely to get back in shape.

VAG sales are up something like 15% globally this year, pretty sure they will be fine. The reports of layoffs comes as a result of shrinking market share in China and reduced operating profit. A lot of "right sizing" is happening in all consumer markets these days (or is to come).

[spicyB48]

Originally Posted by ASAP

I think a combo of being Chinese owned, little excitement in the model lineup and pretty poor reliability make these non starters for most folks. I don't have much experience w Volvo at all but as a child, I always saw them up there w bmw and mercedes... now I cant even tell you what models they make.

I did play w one of their infotainment systems at a dealer that was combined w mercedes and I thought it was the biggest piece of junk I've touched in a long time... that vertical screen is awful.

Not surprised that the infotainment system in garbage, after all Volvo electronics have always been Scheiße.

[Canuck335]

I’m not an SUV type but I find Volvo’s offerings both ICE and Electric far more interesting and attractive than the garbage BMW is spewing out.

[spicyB48]

Originally Posted by Canuck335

I’m not an SUV type but I find Volvo’s offerings both ICE and Electric far more interesting and attractive than the garbage BMW is spewing out.

Yeah, the new XC90 looks great... on the back of a tow truck!

Also, their infotainment system is probably the worst in the industry.

[OtoPA]

Wife loved her 2013 xc90, very safe car...as it spent a fair amt of time on the back of a tow truck. 3 transmissions later, got her a BMW X3.

[heavyD^2]

Originally Posted by Tacoma

China bashing is a popular trend these days but Volvo Executive Erik Severinson said "We have a lot of freedom as a brand to develop our own products" and Volvo and Geely will cooperate only “where it makes sense.” So the heart and soul of Volvo remains with Volvo.

According to Ward's Auto: "More than a decade later, Chinese ownership has helped change Volvo from a money-losing albatross to a trend-setting electric-vehicle manufacturer." Indeed, Volvo Cars just reported its 14th consecutive month of growth as global sales, so not only are they still in business but they're doing better than the good old days before Geely that some reminisce fondly about.

As for concerns regarding reliability, according to the 2023 US Vehicle Dependability Study, Volvo ranks ahead of VW, Mercedes and Audi, and also Tata (India) owned Jaguar and Land Rover too. Just saying.

And speaking of VW, brand chief Thomas Schaefer recently warned Volkswagen’s original brand [VW] is “no longer competitive” and is planning big layoffs. Maybe this thread title should be renamed 'How is VW possibly still in business?' and they should sell to Geely to get back in shape.

So in other words a smidgen less unreliable than the most unreliable brands.

[Clark_Kent]

Originally Posted by Tacoma

China bashing is a popular trend these days but Volvo Executive Erik Severinson said "We have a lot of freedom as a brand to develop our own products" and Volvo and Geely will cooperate only “where it makes sense.” So the heart and soul of Volvo remains with Volvo.

According to Ward's Auto: "More than a decade later, Chinese ownership has helped change Volvo from a money-losing albatross to a trend-setting electric-vehicle manufacturer." Indeed, Volvo Cars just reported its 14th consecutive month of growth as global sales, so not only are they still in business but they're doing better than the good old days before Geely that some reminisce fondly about.

As for concerns regarding reliability, according to the 2023 US Vehicle Dependability Study, Volvo ranks ahead of VW, Mercedes and Audi, and also Tata (India) owned Jaguar and Land Rover too. Just saying.

And speaking of VW, brand chief Thomas Schaefer recently warned Volkswagen’s original brand [VW] is “no longer competitive” and is planning big layoffs. Maybe this thread title should be renamed 'How is VW possibly still in business?' and they should sell to Geely to get back in shape.

China bashing is certainly en vogue. People are bashing China because everyone else is bashing China. There's no real basis for it and the reasons people manufacture aren't always legitimate. And those dependability and customer satisfaction surveys are silly. They have proven to not mirror my experience, at all. I've owned cars from manufacturers on the supposed naughty list and I haven't experienced a level of dependability or dissatisfaction purported in those studies. All 3 of my BMWs were fine, both Teslas - fine, and all three Volvos - fine. A dealership visit here or there, but nothing egregious. I would never not buy a car because it's high(er) on one of those lists.

[spicyB48]

Originally Posted by OtoPA

Wife loved her 2013 xc90, very safe car...as it spent a fair amt of time on the back of a tow truck. 3 transmissions later, got her a BMW X3.

I had a 2013 S60. The transmission was going out but the engine failed first.

[MalibuM3]

One thing that is really crap is the speed limiter to max 112 mph or 180 km/h since the model year 2020.
My XC60 T6 PHEV has pretty decent acceleration, but with a top speed of just 112 mph/180 km/h, there is not much fun on the German autobahn. Even sh*tty econoboxes have a higher vmax these days compared to my 350hp Volvo.

[spicyB48]

Originally Posted by MalibuM3

One thing that is really crap is the speed limiter to max 112 mph or 180 km/h since the model year 2020.
My XC60 T6 PHEV has pretty decent acceleration, but with a top speed of just 112 mph/180 km/h, there is not much fun on the German autobahn. Even sh*tty econoboxes have a higher vmax these days compared to my 350hp Volvo.

Yeah, that is pretty pathetic when a cheap Skoda is better than an expensive Volvo.

[NikMN]

Much better. Stick with Skoda

[ChiNorm]

I had an '87 Volvo 760T. With IPD sway bars, a great car. I replaced it with a '96 850 T5, another great car and a really inspiring motor. That got replaced with a 12 S60, which sucked to drive. Was eventually lemon lawed as it couldn't be aligned to factory specs. It was replaced by a '13 S60 Awd. Crampled interior, mediocre seats and sound.

It got replaced with a '13 535ix, which I am still driving. The BMW is superior in every respect, it even got better gas mileage than the Volvo. I question how much longer the brand will exist now that Geely just sold a huge amount of Volvo stock.

[spicyB48]

Originally Posted by ChiNorm

I had an '87 Volvo 760T. With IPD sway bars, a great car. I replaced it with a '96 850 T5, another great car and a really inspiring motor. That got replaced with a 12 S60, which sucked to drive. Was eventually lemon lawed as it couldn't be aligned to factory specs. It was replaced by a '13 S60 Awd. Crampled interior, mediocre seats and sound.

It got replaced with a '13 535ix, which I am still driving. The BMW is superior in every respect, it even got better gas mileage than the Volvo. I question how much longer the brand will exist now that Geely just sold a huge amount of Volvo stock.

My 2013 S60 was the worst car ever. I had the FWD version and it was horrible. It felt like a cheap bottom-barrel economy car, yet it cost more to maintain than a BMW or Audi and started falling apart after 5 years or so.