Volvo
Making bad decisions happens once in a while. In some cases, you realize it before it's too late, and you can make the necessary adjustments. Other times, mistakes seem to multiply. Once a synonym for safety and family cars, Volvo is now struggling quite a bit. Ten years ago, the Swedish brand was a leader in many categories; fast-forward to 2011, and the reality is totally different.
Volvo could not adapt to consumer trends and all the progress made by the competition. Today, it barely even retains its premium status. The few models that avoided the axe (sadly, only one wagon: the XC70) aren't any safer than most. The XC60 and XC90 crossovers deserve praise, but they trail all their German rivals and even some Japanese products.
What Volvo needs is a new business plan that will emphasize the unique Scandinavian character of the brand in modern vehicles that customers actually want to buy.
Making bad decisions happens once in a while. In some cases, you realize it before it's too late, and you can make the necessary adjustments. Other times, mistakes seem to multiply. Once a synonym for safety and family cars, Volvo is now struggling quite a bit. Ten years ago, the Swedish brand was a leader in many categories; fast-forward to 2011, and the reality is totally different.
Volvo could not adapt to consumer trends and all the progress made by the competition. Today, it barely even retains its premium status. The few models that avoided the axe (sadly, only one wagon: the XC70) aren't any safer than most. The XC60 and XC90 crossovers deserve praise, but they trail all their German rivals and even some Japanese products.
What Volvo needs is a new business plan that will emphasize the unique Scandinavian character of the brand in modern vehicles that customers actually want to buy.
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| 2012 Volvo S60 T5 (Photo: Matthieu Lambert/Auto123.com) |