Volvo Cars has reported record sales in 2014 and forecast sales will continue to expand in all global markets in 2015.
07 Jan 2015 | 3284 Views | By Autocar Professional Bureau
Volvo Cars has reported record sales in 2014 and forecast sales will continue to expand in all global markets in 2015. The Swedish company said sales increased 8.9 percent in 2014 to a new record of 465,866 cars sold. December also marked the 18th month of consecutive sales increases, ...
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Volvo Cars has reported record sales in 2014 and forecast sales will continue to expand in all global markets in 2015. The Swedish company said sales increased 8.9 percent in 2014 to a new record of 465,866 cars sold. December also marked the 18th month of consecutive sales increases, driven primarily by strong performances in China and Western Europe and highlighting the consistent sales improvement for Volvo Cars.
“It has been a good year. Record sales underline how broad-based our performance has been in 2014. Moreover, we are profitable and we intend to stay profitable. This is crucial as it means our growth is sustainable,” said Håkan Samuelsson, president and chief executive. “We also expect this growth to continue next year in all markets.”
Volvo Cars is midway through a global transformation that involves the creation of a global industrial footprint, the complete renewal of Volvo’s product range over the next five years, the introduction of a new modular chassis technology, world first safety technologies, a new design language, a new powertrain architecture and a range of class leading connectivity services.
Sales in Western Europe The top three European markets – Sweden, UK and Germany – were also the key growth drivers in Europe during 2014. Sweden grew 17.4 percent on strong demand for the XC60 and XC70 crossover models, while the UK and Germany were up 25.5 and 18.3 percent respectively, driven by the V40 hatchback and the XC60. Western Europe as a whole, including Sweden, grew 11.4 percent. Volvo’s highly competitive new Drive-E powertrains with best in class performance and fuel economy are important factors behind the continued European success.
Sales in China Volvo Cars continued to grow significantly faster than the overall car market in China in 2014. Total retail sales grew by 32.8 percent to 81,221 cars (more than double the growth of the market) which is a new all-time high sales result and established China as the number one market for Volvo worldwide. The establishment of three new manufacturing plants, a growing dealership network and continuous expansion of the product offer are the underlying factors for the continued momentum for Volvo Cars on the Chinese market. The best-selling model was the XC60 followed by the S60L sedan and the V40.
US revival During 2014, Volvo Cars launched a revival plan for the US market to strengthen its presence and regain market share. A new leadership team was put in place as well as a new marketing strategy which will increase brand awareness and tailor Volvo Cars’ product offer to the individual needs across the country. Total retail sales amounted to 56,371 cars, with the best-selling models the Volvo S60 and the XC60.
Best-selling models 2014 The XC60 crossover was Volvo Cars’ best-selling model in 2014 and it also represented the highest growth in absolute numbers. Sales of the XC60 amounted to 136,993 cars (2013: 114,010) which was an increase of 20.2 percent. The biggest market for the XC60 was China followed by the US and Sweden. The second most sold car line was the V40 and V40 Cross Country models for which sales amounted to 110,528 cars (2013: 99,911). The XC60 and V40 were followed by the S60/S60L sedans, the V60 sports wagon and the XC70 crossover.
“In 2014 we have seen real consistency in our sales growth,” said Alain Visser, senior vice-president (Marketing, Sales and Customer Service), Volvo Cars. “This gives us tremendous confidence for 2015 when we will have the benefit of our new car launches and this sales growth is set to continue in 2015 and beyond as we set about replacing our entire model range in the next five years,” he concluded.