A glimpse of what we can expect from Volvo
13 Apr 2012|5,599 views
At the XC90 Refresh and XC60 "Volvo Ocean Race edition" launch recently, we had a chance to speak to Mr. Peter Johnson (PJ), who gave us a great insight on the current issues as well as the marque’s aspirations for the future.
SGCM: A very good afternoon Mr Johnson, thank you for giving us an insightful presentation on the future offerings from Volvo. With the increasing competition within the industry, what do you think are the challenges faced by the marque?
PJ: I think one of the biggest challenges for Volvo is to transform hygiene factors, such as safety, into something attractive. People have always associated high-safety standards to Volvo cars. But at the same time being too focused on safety engineering makes the brand name a tad boring too – according to researches, in the eyes of consumers, Volvo is least to be thought as a high-involvement driving experience.
Another challenge is of course to increase our production volume, so as to increase our profitability. Currently our cars are being built in two of the most labour-costly countries in the World – Sweden & Belgium. However, now we are equipped with the capability to set-up manufacturing facilities in China, which should see us hitting our target of 800,000 units per annum by year 2020.
SGCM: On that point of Volvo Cars being conventional and a tad boring, is there any plans to change that perception? How likely are we to see performance variants of the Volvo lineup in years to come?
PJ: Volvo has been in close collaboration with Polestar since 1996 – we have jointly developed performance upgrades for some of the models in our current lineup, as well as racing cars for Swedish touring leagues and WTCC (World Touring Car Championship). More models are definitely in the works as we expect closer collaborations with Polestar.
Right now, as you may have observed from the promotional materials, Volvo is putting more focus into aesthetical values, both on the exterior and interior, living by our motto of building cars around our clients, as well as staying true to our core values. The ideology behind the design cues are towards creating a car that is “cool on the outside, and warm on the inside”.
SGCM: We have seen the upcoming C30 electric and V60 plug-in diesel hybrid in pictures. Is Volvo heading towards these two powertrain concepts? And what are your views on electric cars taking on the petrol-driven brethrens to become the automobiles for the future?
PJ: Being a Swedish company, people naturally associate the brand as being 'eco-friendly' - I think that is the general perception the public has, which is good in a way. The new powertrain options were developed in a joint collaboration with one of Europe’s biggest energy company, Vattenfall. This further proves our commitment to lead as an engineering company in the providence of cutting-edge technologies for our customers.
Peter Johnson has been with Volvo Car Corporation since 1995, and is well-versed in the business field, with a strong 20 years experience in a number of disciplines including People & Change Management and Entrepreneurship. He is now the Vice President of Sales & marketing for Volvo Car Asia.
At the XC90 Refresh and XC60 "Volvo Ocean Race edition" launch recently, we had a chance to speak to Mr. Peter Johnson (PJ), who gave us a great insight on the current issues as well as the marque’s aspirations for the future.
SGCM: A very good afternoon Mr Johnson, thank you for giving us an insightful presentation on the future offerings from Volvo. With the increasing competition within the industry, what do you think are the challenges faced by the marque?
PJ: I think one of the biggest challenges for Volvo is to transform hygiene factors, such as safety, into something attractive. People have always associated high-safety standards to Volvo cars. But at the same time being too focused on safety engineering makes the brand name a tad boring too – according to researches, in the eyes of consumers, Volvo is least to be thought as a high-involvement driving experience.
Another challenge is of course to increase our production volume, so as to increase our profitability. Currently our cars are being built in two of the most labour-costly countries in the World – Sweden & Belgium. However, now we are equipped with the capability to set-up manufacturing facilities in China, which should see us hitting our target of 800,000 units per annum by year 2020.
SGCM: On that point of Volvo Cars being conventional and a tad boring, is there any plans to change that perception? How likely are we to see performance variants of the Volvo lineup in years to come?
PJ: Volvo has been in close collaboration with Polestar since 1996 – we have jointly developed performance upgrades for some of the models in our current lineup, as well as racing cars for Swedish touring leagues and WTCC (World Touring Car Championship). More models are definitely in the works as we expect closer collaborations with Polestar.
Right now, as you may have observed from the promotional materials, Volvo is putting more focus into aesthetical values, both on the exterior and interior, living by our motto of building cars around our clients, as well as staying true to our core values. The ideology behind the design cues are towards creating a car that is “cool on the outside, and warm on the inside”.
SGCM: We have seen the upcoming C30 electric and V60 plug-in diesel hybrid in pictures. Is Volvo heading towards these two powertrain concepts? And what are your views on electric cars taking on the petrol-driven brethrens to become the automobiles for the future?
PJ: Being a Swedish company, people naturally associate the brand as being 'eco-friendly' - I think that is the general perception the public has, which is good in a way. The new powertrain options were developed in a joint collaboration with one of Europe’s biggest energy company, Vattenfall. This further proves our commitment to lead as an engineering company in the providence of cutting-edge technologies for our customers.
Peter Johnson has been with Volvo Car Corporation since 1995, and is well-versed in the business field, with a strong 20 years experience in a number of disciplines including People & Change Management and Entrepreneurship. He is now the Vice President of Sales & marketing for Volvo Car Asia.
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