Our Brand Strategy describes how we are going to appeal to our customers. It stipulates Volvo Cars’ uniqueness as a brand from both a customer promise and product attribute perspective.
DESIGNED AROUND YOU is all about seeing, hearing and understanding people's needs and confirming through delivering experiences that exceed their expectations, and support them in their daily life.
Our People Strategy is Volvo Cars' roadmap to become the employer of choice. It clarifies what we stand for, what makes us attractive and how we will reach our objectives.
Becoming the EMPLOYER OF CHOICE will be enabled through our culture, leadership and competence.
Protecting what’s important to you is at the core of our business and of our approach to sustainability.
“OMTANKE” is a Swedish word that means “caring” and “consideration”, but also importantly “to think again”. It is the name of our sustainability programme.
Our commitment is to re-think our sustainability approach, and ensure its impact is felt beyond our operations and products, and into society.
Our sustainability themes are clean, safe and responsible. We focus on nine topics, each containing a clear commitment. Working on these topics contributes to the sustainable profitability and growth of the company.
Our mission is to be the world's most progressive and desired premium car company and to make people's lives less complicated
1. Roll-out of fully renewed product range. Leading the way in Autonomous Driving and leveraging Volvo Cars’ experience in new ventures
2. Further footprint optimisation and new plant in the US
3. Efficiency and flexibility through modularity with new SPA, CMA and Drive-E platforms
4. New Ways to Customers by e-commerce, car sharing, down town studios and service products
2010 Volvo Cars acquired by Zhejiang Geely Holding Group
2011 Strategic re-positioning initiated and largest investment programme in our history commenced
2013 New Drive-E powertrain family introduced
2014 The all-new XC90 unveiled – first product on the SPA platform
2015 New record unit sales of 500K and improved profitability achieved
We compete in the premium car segment with confidence, innovations and niche products. Our products are developed on highly flexible vehicle platforms and powered by our industry leading in-house developed engine technology.
Our innovations are designed to simplify and improve life and we are especially proud of our advances in autonomous driving, safety, electrification and connectivity.
We work hard to engineer and produce fuel-efficient and safe cars. Our product portfolio, our engine programmes and our electrification strategy show our clear commitment to the environment.
We have approximately 600 business partners delivering production materials and 3,500 preferred suppliers delivering indirect products and services. We integrate sustainability activities in our processes and tools and rolled out a specific Code of Conduct for Business Partners.
We are establishing a global industrial footprint. By using our resources efficiently, we are committed to minimising the environmental impact of our operations. We set ambitious targets such as being climate neutral in all our manufacturing operations by 2025.
We manage the logistics of our production materials and vehicles in-house, and are constantly improving the efficiency of our logistics operations.
We make life easy for our customers, through digital leadership of our website and e-commerce. We are also experimenting with new retail concepts such as Pop-up Stores.
We market and sell our products and services in a fair and honest manner. We issue Volvo Cars Corporate Marketing Instructions to provide guidance on the preparation and documentation of our advertising materials, for our sales companies worldwide.
We take good care of our customers, and provide carefree ownership experiences through offering Care by Volvo and personalised technical services. Beyond the new car sales, we also offer a global used car programme – Volvo Selekt.
We are committed to having no work-related fatalities or serious injuries involving any of our employees or contractors. Also, by 2020, we aim to have 35% internationally diverse leaders and 35% female leaders. We will continue to implement our compliance program and Code of Conduct. We believe these commitments protect our own people, as well as enhance creativity, innovation, productivity and profitability.
We work towards contributing to a better society and protecting people and the climate by creating partnerships for sustainable development and promoting traffic-safety in the car industry together with local and international organisations. We also encourage responsible business practices throughout our value chain by promoting ethical leadership and human rights.
Engaged and three children
I used to be a professional badminton player
I have been a proud Volvo owner for more than 25 years
We own two new Volvo cars now – one is the XC90 and the other is the XC60.
One of my daughters is a professional equestrian and living in Belgium. I drive my XC90 frequently from the south of Sweden to Belgium to visit her.
Given the interest in equestrian sports, the car is also utilised for horse trailers
The advanced safety features of course, such as the semi-autonomous Auto Pilot. The outstanding safety performance of Volvo cars is one of the reasons why I have been such a loyal Volvo owner.
In addition to safety, I drive long distance often and particularly value the comfort of the Volvo seats as well as the spacious interior the car provides. Also comparing with the previous Volvo models I owned, I find the XC90 more fun to drive – it's sporty and powerful.
Absolutely. The XC90 is a great product demonstrating the success of Volvo Cars' transformation. The car carries the Swedish DNA from the inside out – it's stylish, modern, safe and high-performing.
In addition to the outstanding product features, I also enjoyed the personalised and caring services provided by the Volvo dealers.
I live with my wife, my parents and two sons in Beijing
Music – I have lots of contacts with various musicians and producers through work, and am picky about in-car stereo experiences
I bought my first Volvo – a V60, in 2013
I bought the XC90 T6 Inscription in September 2016. During work days, both my driver and myself drive the car. During weekends, I drive the whole family to our villa in the suburbs.
Just a few days after buying the car, I, together with my family, drove over 5,000 kms across China from Beijing to Sichuan and back. The trip lasted nearly two weeks but the XC90 made it highly enjoyable. I was particularly amazed by the great stereo performance and the autopilot features of the XC90.
Human-centricity of the product. The smell of the cabin was relatively light for a new car, and my son who suffers from anaphylactic rhinitis could finally enjoy sitting in a car.
Auto pilot. In face of an emergency situation, the car reacts gently as if driven by an actual person. It makes excellent judgement of speed limits.
Engine. I enjoy driving in a smooth manner, and my XC90 never feels heavy to steer regardless the number of passengers in it. I'm very satisfied with this.
Stereo. I have very high standards when it comes to stereos, and the XC90 is just amazing, especially when it plays guitar or piano tunes.
In fact, three of my friends became XC90 owners following my recommendations. For us working in Tech, we look for innovations, human centricity and superb safety performances in our cars. And the Volvo XC90 provides them all.
Married and three sons, aged 21,11 and 10
I speak Italian fluently, and was made honorary citizen of the village of Fivizzano, Italy a few years ago
I have casted Volvo cars in 4 of my movies, and my pregnant wife once managed to avoid an accident thanks to the safety features of our classic XC90
I have the XC90 T6 AWD Incription from the Model Year of 2017.
I drive my XC90 everywhere and even drove it to the Premiere of my latest film 'The Space between Us' last week.
I keep on saying all the advanced safety features. I’ve already had a moment when the auto brake has saved the day.
The Bowers & Wilkins sound system is simply extraordinary, and I have tried each of the different sound stages. Sometimes, when I need to listen to music scores for work, I will go out to the car and listen to it there.
The cooled and heated seats are also fantastic.
Of course. Safety has always been a unique selling point for Volvo but today's Volvo cars are way beyond that. In my view, the image of the brand and the models have changed so much during the past years that Volvo now has cool factors.
This is probably the main reason I would recommend it to someone. And the envy from my friends when they see me with the car just keeps confirming my view.
I started at Volvo Cars as an intern in June, 2015, and really enjoyed working with my colleagues here. I chose to join Volvo Cars because I wanted to be part of the amazing journey of producing and exporting world-class luxury cars from Daqing.
The highly collaborative working culture and good relationships with my colleagues.
Daqing Plant is currently producing the S90 and I'm working as a Team Leader, Trim, Chassis and Final.
The S90, of course! I work with the car every day and witnessed its birth at our plant. I'm very proud of what we have achieved.
I joined Volvo Cars in 1995 because the company had the reputation of being both friendly and innovative.
I am a Powertrain Project Leader, leading the development of systems such as engines and gearboxes.
PowerPulse reduces/eliminates turbo delay by dumping compressed air from a tank into the exhaust manifold. It spins up the compressor rapidly and generates boost pressure, while a small electric compressor refills the tank.
This patented technology improves take-off acceleration, drivability and fuel efficiency.
The V90, because of its distinct yet gorgeous design and advanced premium features, such as the HMI and Powertrain.
“I have been a proud Volvo owner for more than 25 years”Ulf Kinneson Member of the Board of Directors, Intersport Denmark
“I bought my first Volvo – a V60, in 2013”Dong Wei Vice President, Alibaba Mobile Business Group
“My pregnant wife once managed to avoid an accident thanks to the safety features of our classic XC90”Peter Chelsom Award-winning film director, writer and actor
“I started at Volvo Cars as an intern in June, 2015, and really enjoyed working with my colleagues here”Xiaohang Zhu Team Leader, Volvo Cars Daqing Plant
“I joined Volvo Cars in 1995 because the company had the reputation of being both friendly and innovative”Martin Wedel Project Leader, R&D
For nearly 60 years, since the invention of the 3-point safety belt in 1959, our safety innovations have led the industry and saved countless lives. We’re continuing that tradition today with the development of our AD technology as a key element of our safety innovation work up to, and beyond, our Vision 2020: that nobody will be killed or seriously injured in a new Volvo car by 2020.
We signed an agreement with Uber to jointly develop new base vehicles with back up systems able to incorporate the latest developments in AD technologies, up to and including fully autonomous driverless cars.
We signed a Letter of Intent with Autoliv to set up a new jointly-owned company – Zenuity – to develop next generation AD software. It will be positioned as a world-leading authority in software development for AD to allow faster introduction of new technologies in our cars.
The ‘Drive Me’ project in Gothenburg is, to our knowledge, the world’s first large scale AD pilot project to place customers in self-driving cars on public roads. The project aims to have 100 customers in self-driving Volvo cars on approximately 50 kilometres of public roads in Gothenburg in 2017.
Volvo Cars is well-positioned to lead electrification in the automotive industry. As one of the largest manufacturers of plug-in hybrid electric cars in Europe, we are committed to meeting the European Union fleet emissions targets. We believe that our strategy of focusing on 3- and 4-cylinder powertrains – which were prepared for electrification – and SPA and CMA, supporting both plug-in and pure electric powertrain configurations, will ensure that we keep ahead of emissions regulations while meeting changing consumer demands.
In October 2015, we launched our comprehensive Electrification Strategy. The focus point of this strategy is the introduction of plug-in hybrid variants across the entire range of SPA- and CMA-based cars. The first car launched as part of this strategy is the top-of-the-range XC90 T8 Twin Engine variants. And a fully electric car will be launched by 2019.
Our aim is to have put up to 1 million electrified vehicles on the road by 2025. This is an accumulated figure for all our plug-in hybrids and battery electric vehicles sold over time. The milestone will be achieved by offering new electric vehicles, a broader plug-in hybrid offer and by promoting market acceptance.
We see connectivity as a great means to transform the in-car and ownership experiences for our customers. Through the technological breakthroughs in connectivity, we also revolutionise the traditional ownership model and make sure that owning a Volvo could be both simple and care-free.
We are setting up a new shared mobility business unit around Sunfleet, one of the world’s first car sharing companies that has been operated by Volvo since 1998 in Sweden. We aim to expand the shared mobility business into new markets and provide an entirely new range of mobility services to meet changing consumer expectations around how they own and engage with cars.
Volvo On Call provides comprehensive connected car services such as setting precondition timings to heat up or cool down the car, sending destinations to the navigation system, locking and unlocking the doors, locating your car in a crowded parking place and much more, via the smartphones and wearables, such as Apple Watch.
We launched the world’s first commercial offer to have online shopping delivered directly to the Volvo cars – Volvo In-car Delivery, by providing a one-time digital key to a delivery company. This well-received service is now available in Sweden and Norway.
CEO comment