Thread: Volvo: võib öelda, mis see veel on?

Volvo lennukisse teise maailma uuesti käivitada, kuid ei saa olla edukas, kuni ta tõesti otsustab, mida ta tähistab. Kui mul paluti määratleda suurim takistus ees Volvo, tema ei ole, et ettevõttel on probleem graafika, selle et tal probleem oma pilt. Volvo, võite väita, on brändi piltide see, et fikseeritud ja järeleandmatut Rootsi viis asju.
General Motors oma katastroofilised omandiõiguse Saab leida, kui rootslased on sihikindlalt kindlaks teha asju omal viisil, olles veendunud, et kõik lõpuks tulevad oma seisukohast. Kuigi see muudab ühiskonna sujuvalt, see raskendab asju kui sa üritad müüa autosid ülejäänud maailma.
Et olla õiglane, kui Volvo aeg-ajalt tegema midagi ootamatut, see ei saa alati teeninud reaktsioon. Kakskümmend aastat tagasi, kui firma pühkida kiltkivist puhtad ja taaskäivitatud ise 850-seeria, mis oli ees-drive ja viie silindriga mootorite jõul, ka käivitas T5 ja T5R suure jõudlusega mõisad. Ühendkuningriigis, kus Volvos vanameelne pilt on raskeim shift, firma isegi tormasid 850 estate autod linnas British Touring Car Championship.
Kui rehvi tolmu madal, Volvos pildi tootjana tahke, väga turvaline, kuid unexciting pere autod olid peaaegu ei muutunud. Kui päris C30 saabus, Volvos UK müüjad leidsin ta meelitas potentsiaalsed ostjad, kes siis ei saanud tuua ise kirjutama paberisse. Tundus, et vähesed tahtsin seletada nende naabrid, miks nad olid ostnud lastele Volvo, selline on kinnistunud vaade Bränd Suurbritannias.
XC90 oli erinev küsimus kõik koos. Pakutud seitse istekohta, ohutuse ja Maastur seksapiil pakett, mis palju inimesi ei näe ise omamine. Parkida väljaspool oma maja, XC90 rääkisid enda eest. Nagu tegi XC60 praegu firma enimmüüdud mudeli.
Eelmisel aastal ma vabatahtlikult turu-uuringute programmi otsivad auto markide ja veetsin mõnda aega waffling video kaamera umbes Volvos suurepärane võimalus muuta oma pilt korraga. Erinevate XC mudeleid edu kindlasti Volvo võiks müüa ise auto ostetud väljas entusiast, kes veetis head raha high-end suusad või vahemik-destillatsiooniseadmetest mägijalgratas omamoodi omamoodi? Eesmärgid inimeste, kes on 250 Gore-Tex jope, ütlesin.
Sõltumata minu poole, ma olin üllatunud näha 2014-mudeli XC60 eelmisel nädalal Göteborgis. See oli kooritud fassaadi ja ebatasane apellatsioonkaebus ja on kujundanud kõik ühevärvilised ja kannab suurt chrome strip oma madalama uksed. Uus XC60 on ka urban twist ütles projekteerija. See on linn klanitud. Oleme võtnud ta metsast välja.
Miks? Volvo ülemused ütlesid, muutus oli seatavatele mõttetuid mulle sest temast oli saanud firma menuraamat kaljune Maastur varjus külastajad. 95 protsenti draiverid kunagi minna off-road nad ütlesid. Tegelikkuses võib-olla me näeme tohutu Hiina turul, kus autojuhid harva nõuks oma megacity mõju.
Kahjuks Volvo ei ole saada tõstis lisatasu brändi buumi viimase 15 aasta ja praegu müüb 420,000 autod globaalselt - teravas vastuolus Audis 1. 45m või nii. Volvo tahab lüüa 800000 ühikut varsti pärast 2020. Theres mingit põhjust miks mitte, sest minu raha Volvos on premium-taseme sõidukid. Kuid kuni Volvo otsustab tõesti kes ja mis see on umbes, edu on jätkuvalt aeglane.

Volvo is embarking on another global re-launch, but it can't succeed until it really decides on what it stands for. If I was asked to define the biggest hurdle facing Volvo, its not that the company has an image problem, its that it has a problem with its image. Volvo, you might argue, has a brand image that it as fixed and unyielding as the Swedish way of doing things.
As General Motors found with its disastrous ownership of Saab, the Swedes are doggedly determined to do things their own way, convinced that everyone will eventually come around to their point of view. While this makes for a smooth-running society, it makes things difficult when you are trying to sell cars to the rest of the world.
To be fair, when Volvo does occasionally do something unexpected, it doesnt always get the deserved reaction. Twenty years ago, when the company wiped the slate clean and re-launched itself with the 850-series, which was front-drive and powered by five-cylinder engines, it also launched the T5 and T5R high-performance estates. In the UK, where Volvos staid image is hardest to shift, the company even raced 850 estate cars in the British Touring Car Championship.
When the tyre dust cleared, Volvos image as the manufacturer of solid, very safe but unexciting family cars had hardly changed. When the pretty C30 arrived, Volvos UK dealers found it attracted potential buyers who then couldnt bring themselves to sign on the dotted line. It seemed few wanted to explain to their neighbours why they had bought a non-family Volvo, such is the entrenched view of the brand in the UK.
The XC90 was a different issue all together. It offered seven seats, safety and SUV sex appeal in a package that plenty of people could see themselves owning. Parked outside your house, the XC90 spoke for itself. As did the XC60, currently the companys best-selling model.
Last year I volunteered for a market research programme looking into premium automotive brands and I spent some time waffling into a video camera about Volvos great opportunity to change its image once and for all. With the success of the various XC models, surely Volvo could sell itself as the sort of car bought by the sort of outdoor enthusiast who spent good money on high-end skis or a range-topping mountain bike? Aim for the people who have a 250 Gore-Tex jacket, I said.
Regardless of my advice, I was amazed to see the 2014-model XC60 last week in Gothenburg. It had been stripped of its cladding and rugged appeal and is now painted all one colour and wears a large chrome strip on its lower doors. The new XC60 has an urban twist said the designer. It is city sleek. We have taken it out of the forest.
Why? Volvo bosses told me that the change was demanded by customers which made no sense to me as it had become the companys best-seller in the guise of a rugged SUV. 95 percent of drivers never go off-road they said. In reality, perhaps we are seeing the influence of the huge Chinese market, where drivers rarely venture out of their own megacity.
Sadly, Volvo did not get lifted up in the premium brand boom of the last 15 years and currently sells 420,000 cars globally - a stark contrast to Audis 1. 45m or so. Volvo wants to hit 800,000 units shortly after 2020. Theres no reason why not because, for my money, Volvos are premium-level vehicles. But until Volvo really decides who and what it is about, progress will continue to be slow.