Volvo’s – All about car

Volvo has recorded record sales in the first half of 2019, with the success of its SUV range helping the firm sell 340,286 cars – including strong growth in the UK market. The Swedish firm’s global sales between January and June were up 7.3 per cent on 2018, despite the struggles of the global car market. The growth has been driven by Volvo’s SUV range, which accounted for 60.7% of its total sales. Volvo sold 30,026 sales in the UK in the first six months of the year, a year-on-year increase of 30 per cent. The firm also reported growth of 32 per cent in Germany and 10.2 per cent in China, despite the European and Chinese car markets continuing to decline. Volvo boss Hakan Samuelsson said the results showed the firm was now “a real premium alternative” as a brand. Those strong sales helped Volvo achieve record revenues of 130.1 billion SEK (£11 billion), a 5.9 per cent year-on-year increase. The firm’s operating profit was down, due to a series of cost-cutting measures and investment in research. The XC60 SUV was Volvo’s best-selling model in the first half of 2019, with 50,946 sales. That was 0.1 per cent down year-on-year, largely due to a fall in sales in Sweden. Volvo also sold 32,961 examples of the new XC40 small SUV, up 88.3 per cent on
Origin: Volvo’s SUV growth drives record sales

In this week’s stroll through motoring’s backstage area, we hear how Volkswagen plans to revolutionise online car buying, why Lexus thinks hybrids are still so important and more. Volkswagen’s quick click Volkswagen aims to introduce a new car-buying experience with the ID 3 EV, which will be launched in September, with sales boss Jürgen Stackmann saying the firm plans to enable “10 clicks to a finished car” when ordering one. But although it is moving towards online buying, he said dealerships will still be key: “In China, people do everything on their phone – except buy cars. You still need to touch and test a car.” Honda looks forward with the e The Honda e features a classic bonnet design, despite lacking an internal combustion engine – and that’s because it’s the best shape for visibility. Designer Ken Sahara said of the EV: “At first, we tried to make it more futuristic and did several sketches with a shorter front. But from a functional perspective, a (steeply raked) A-pillar just makes bad visibility, so we used the two-box shape.” Volvo can handle saloon buyers A stronger focus on an engaging driving experience is now a “prerequisite” for any new mid-sized saloon, reckons Volvo’s UK operations director, David Baddeley. “The segment has moved in a more dynamic direction,” he said. “If driving dynamics aren’t a big need for you, you’re much more likely to end up in an SUV. The market has differentiated and now you need dynamics.” Lexus hybrid-ges the gap Lexus thinks that traditional hybrids are just as worthy as the new breed of plug-in hybrids from rivals. UK boss Ewan Shepherd said: “We believe hybrid is the tech for now. It is much more practical for someone coming out of a diesel or petrol. The infrastructure in cities is not there yet to make electric and plug-in hybrid
Origin: Autocar confidential: Volvo’s views on saloons, Lexus holds on to hybrids and more