Volvo flirts with luxury in Shanghai – Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet

– I’m not worried, he said.

The Volvo press conference in the gigantic exhibition premises flirted mark with the rich customers in China. They usually have their own driver and sits therefore most in the rear. Volvo’s principal owner and chairman Li Shufu has imprinted how important it is to baksäteslyx.

He liked what he saw and took up a round of applause after the presentation of the XC 90 Excellence, which instead of a seven-seater SUV has turned into a four-seat luxury car with a refrigerator, crystal, multimedia monitors, Soft, indoor lighting, and above all very ample space.

– We think it goes home in China, but it is probably not a big seller in Sweden, says Håkan Samuelsson and picks up tea cups from the cupboard between the seats.

At the same time, Volvo one more step. In a concept car has front passenger seat kicked out to the person in the back seat will be able to put their feet up on a stool. In front of him has a table with a lighted makeup mirror. But if it becomes reality can not Volvo management to respond to.

XC 90 Excellence will however go into production at the end of the year and the idea is to raise the Volvo lyxstegen in China to mark should be able to compete with the other premium brands .

Volvo broke sales of last year and grew more than average, but this year it has been slow. March was down seven percent in China making the first quarter, minus figures. While the overall market for premium cars increased 5-6 percent. Hakan Samuelsson tones down the numbers.

– It is our expectation. One does not grow every day, every week, every month, he says, and looks rather forward.

In the second half of the year, Volvo manager with the sales rush in China. This will start sales of the new XC 90 where Volvo estimates that 5,000 of the year’s total volume of 50 000 cars ports in China. In addition, there will be more variations on the bestseller XC 60, which since last year also built in China.

– It makes me feel confident that we will exceed the premium market this year, says Håkan Samuelsson.

While he admits that it’s a tougher fight for customers now that China’s economy has slowed. Volvo’s strongest card is safety and the environment. At the Shanghai Exhibition Centre, Volvo also a new plug-in hybrid that can handle China’s environmental regulations for subsidies. It is an extended S 60 L with electric and petrol built locally, in the factory in Chengdu.