[seeg]

As of late, I've been very hard-pressed to find a positive Volvo article. Lately all I've been seeing are articles basically agreeing with Jerry Yorke to sell off Volvo. Other times it's just rampant and constant "speculation" regarding Volvo selling Ford and giving reasons why it might, including the recent shift cut. And then there's this:

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080509/OPINION03/805090436/1362/OPINION0339

Since when has the term "weak car company" accurately described Volvo?

By reading these one would think Volvo is in Chrysler's situation, or even worse off. I also keep seeing non-stop articles in regards to Volvo loosing money, but isn't the reason for their decline in revenue because of the weak dollar vs the strong Kronor (a lot of this could be solved by building products for the NA market that share the same platforms in NA plants)? Most of these articles don't mention that. Didn't Volvo also have a record sales year just last year? I have been seeing more and more positive Ford articles as of late, but some journalists have grouped Volvo with Jaguar and acted like Volvo has been contributing to Ford's problems from the outset. I've even seen some articles comparing LRJ's current turnaround and improved sales to Volvo's situation. Yes, Volvo's current situation needs work, but again, it's not like their in Chrysler territory. Still some journalists mention the need to offload Volvo before they further cripple Ford.

So could someone explain this to me...

How exactly has Volvo hurt Ford?

 

[plane]

Volvo has ruined Ford.
Billions upon Billions of Dollars wasted.
Down the tube.
Kiss that money goodbye cause it's never coming back.

What was Ford thinking?
Billions!
Just to sell some upscale pretender SUV?
And aluminum bodied gas guzzler with rich corinthian leather?
What a crock.
This thread just makes me angry looking at it.
<pssssttt........wha?..........huh?.........Land..........Rover.......Jaguar.........not.....Volvo.....>


um.
nevermind.

 

[osv_alero]

Volvo used to make reliable strong cars that were #1 in saftey. Now they make Japanese wanna be cars. Give me a 240 anyday over any modern Volvo. It will last longer, be safer and be 100X more entertaining to drive.

Ford wasted money and Volvo got crappy cars. It was a marriage made in hell.

 

[t-rex]

Give me a 240 anyday over any modern Volvo. It will last longer, be safer and be 100X more entertaining to drive.

My Mom bought an '82 240 GLE Wagon when we returned to the U.S. That thing was a TANK! She drove it until replacing it with an '88 740 Turbo wagon that was unfortunately not as reliable. It was replaced by an 850 Wagon some years later.

Those were the last of the "real" Volvos.

But with the endless problems with their current Rendezvous, and Dad's current S80 getting long-in-the-tooth, they'll soon be shopping to replace both. The new S80 tops Dad's wish list (that is, behind the never-will-get-here Chinese Park Avenue), with the new Jag XF running a close second. Mom's giving the Buick Enclave serious consideration, though she'd prefer something more midsized. They've toyed with the idea of replacing both current cars with a Benz S-class and buying some secondhand runabout for quick jaunts around town.

 

[Andonis]

well i drive an old volvo for quite some time now, and i didnt have any major problems. it just keeps on rolling

 

[1931Chevy]

the problem here is that Volvo started loosing money recently as last year but in the last years Volvo was the only profit maker in the PAG and I agree with some posters Ford should move some of Volvo production here to the states, heck if they bringing the Euro Focus in 2 years they could build the C-30 in the same line

 

[Stéphane Dumas]

Volvo used to make reliable strong cars that were #1 in saftey. Now they make Japanese wanna be cars. Give me a 240 anyday over any modern Volvo. It will last longer, be safer and be 100X more entertaining to drive.

Ford wasted money and Volvo got crappy cars. It was a marriage made in hell.

Also some competitors had catched up with Volvo in regards to safety. The irony is now Ford use a Volvo platform for its big Taurus/Sable.

Maybe Volvo needs a modern reincarnation of the RWD 240 series

 

[syr74]

Volvo used to make reliable strong cars that were #1 in saftey. Now they make Japanese wanna be cars. Give me a 240 anyday over any modern Volvo. It will last longer, be safer and be 100X more entertaining to drive.

Ford wasted money and Volvo got crappy cars. It was a marriage made in hell.

Not exactly. But for the current gen S40 and the brand new S80 every existing Volvo model was in some stage of development when Ford bought the brand including the first gen S80, S60, and XC90. Even more, to this point every model which has been redesigned under Ford's auspices, including the current S40 and S80, have been seriously improved for the effort.

Volvo was in serious trouble before Ford got 'hold of them because the cars people now pine for....240, 960....stuck around far too long and were genuinely terrible to drive when compared to nearly any competitor. The reality for Volvo had become that Volvo loyalists would drive nothing else, but unfortunately virtually everyone else wouldn't drive a Volvo. They would talk about how fantastic Volvo's cars were, even recommend one to their mom or even a friend, but then promptly scoot their own rump on over to the Mercedes or BMW dealership when it was time for their own new car.

Truth be told I can't blame them as, by the time the 240 was phased out in the early 90's, that car gave a reasonably good impression of how a contemporary Russian model might drive....it was that outmoded. Volvo began reinventing themselves with the 850 which retained the boxy look but which moved the brand toward a drastically new dynamic model. This was followed the by S70 which may have been the ideal Volvo combining a modern take on Volvo's legendary boxy styling and safety with a truly great driving experience. There was work left to be done but the S70 was, in my experience, an extraordinarily well received car by virtually everybody who drove one.

I think the S80 was the first step in the wrong direction. The problem with Volvo's offering wasn't the style and the S80 set out to answer a question nobody asked trading in Volvo's trademark boxy styling...which had truly come into it's own again with the S70...for a sleek new look which was rather pretty but still a mistake.

If Ford is going to keep Volvo I think they need to revisit what makes a Volvo a Volvo.

 

[seeg]

Not exactly. But for the current gen S40 and the brand new S80 every existing Volvo model was in some stage of development when Ford bought the brand including the first gen S80, S60, and XC90. Even more, to this point every model which has been redesigned under Ford's auspices, including the current S40 and S80, have been seriously improved for the effort.

Volvo was in serious trouble before Ford got 'hold of them because the cars people now pine for....240, 960....stuck around far too long and were genuinely terrible to drive when compared to nearly any competitor. The reality for Volvo had become that Volvo loyalists would drive nothing else, but unfortunately virtually everyone else wouldn't drive a Volvo. They would talk about how fantastic Volvo's cars were, even recommend one to their mom or even a friend, but then promptly scoot their own rump on over to the Mercedes or BMW dealership when it was time for their own new car.

Truth be told I can't blame them as, by the time the 240 was phased out in the early 90's, that car gave a reasonably good impression of how a contemporary Russian model might drive....it was that outmoded. Volvo began reinventing themselves with the 850 which retained the boxy look but which moved the brand toward a drastically new dynamic model. This was followed the by S70 which may have been the ideal Volvo combining a modern take on Volvo's legendary boxy styling and safety with a truly great driving experience. There was work left to be done but the S70 was, in my experience, an extraordinarily well received car by virtually everybody who drove one.

I think the S80 was the first step in the wrong direction. The problem with Volvo's offering wasn't the style and the S80 set out to answer a question nobody asked trading in Volvo's trademark boxy styling...which had truly come into it's own again with the S70...for a sleek new look which was rather pretty but still a mistake.

If Ford is going to keep Volvo I think they need to revisit what makes a Volvo a Volvo.

I'm not really sure the boxy designs would really be that successful in today's market.

 

[2b2]

I mainly agree with Syr74
& imho the new/coming designs are looking too Ford-Kinetic

also
the S60 was their best seller and a new one reeaally shoulda been out the year after the latest S40 debuted = 2006!
before they did the C70

 

[syr74]

I'm not really sure the boxy designs would really be that successful in today's market.

Thats what they said about the S70 in the jelly-mould inspired decade that was the 1990's. My personal opinion......when well executed distinction never goes out of style.