Feb 9, 2012
Good Interview with Our New CEO
danjohnston
Over the years, SwedeSpeed has been a very good forum for Volvo owners to discuss Volvo, old and new. In fact, I needed to replace an air pump on my old ’98 XC70 and found some good tips.
Just recently they interviewed John Maloney, President and CEO, Volvo Cars of North America. I found this story to be right on with what we are doing, why we do what we do and where we are going. From sitting on the inside, Maloney’s answers are dead on.
Have a good read at: http://www.swedespeed.com/artman2/publish/Volvo_News/Interview_John_Maloney.html
3 Comments
I though him uninspired and basically saying “no” to almost every vehicle a real driving enthusiast would like. Not exactly Mr. Warmth either, is he?
1. Fix the numb no-feel steering on the XC60 and S60.
2. Find a way to sell manuals in the US if you want any credibility vs BMW
3. Get an XC90 replacement out there. The current 3.2 could be bested by a 4 cylinder turbo and give nice fuel economy.
BMW leverages its reputation based on sales of a few top performing models to sell large numbers of more mundane 3 and 5 series sedans at large margins. There’s a lesson here.
Hi Brynot,
I think what John is expressing is a frankness about how we see our business. Sure he could have spilled the beans about what’s coming next, but that’s not what we do until it is time.
Will we ever be the ultimate driving machine, probably not, at least not in a German way? Each car band creates attributes that position what is being offered in a way that fits what they want their brand to be. Look at Audi, could they be a BMW, heck…sure why not, just that going down that road, they would always be number 2. Could they be MB, sure but same problem? So they chose to hang their hat on technology. We are not a company based on ultimate driving experience; it’s about helping protect people in an accident and giving a very good/respectable driving experience.
Creditability is more about making a promise and sticking to it. BMW will always be creditable in their own way and so will Volvo.
As to manual transmissions, there are so few people that want them in a Volvo, it’s just not profitable for us to EPA certify. Would I want a manual, heck yes, unless stuck in NYC/LA/Chicago/Dallas/Florida traffic. I think the last time we looked, before finally pulling that plug, we sold less than 3% manuals. Not a good business case for making that offering.
Go back and drive first generation S60, to me it was nice road cruiser not even close to being as nimble or safe as today’s S60. If you really think about it, what we’ve done with R-Design models and Polestar Performance Packages is pretty commendable compared to where we were a few years ago.
dan
While I can understand the logic of reducing the range of cars in US, I think it does send a wrong message. I like the XC60 as a family car and I test drove it a number of time. Still, I am wondering what the Volvo long term presence will be.
When you go to a Volvo dealer these days, there are more or less two cars: S60 and XC60. All the other models are gone or dated. It just doesn’t give you enough confidence in the brand.
I would love to see a V40, it looks very nice. With Audi getting out of A3 hatchback in US, there is a space to be filled. I think Mini is going great with the Countryman and has a brand profile closer to Volvo. The fact that V50 didn’t sell well 5-6 years ago might be misleading, trends are changing.