Pricing
To echo some things that others have already remarked upon:
First, yes, OSD prices are "firm". That said, if you are willing to purchase a pre-built vehicle (of which, as of last Friday, a number of XC60s--all 2012 are available), you may obtain some additional concessions, particularly if you qualify for the loyalty offer. In our particular case (an S60), we received a credit for the metallic paint, as well as an additional hotel night in Goeteborg (latter being a consequence of the loyalty offer). To see what models are available as pre-builts:
http://www.flyvolvo.com/msg10.htm (scroll to bottom).
Secondly, that said, OSD is about the experience. It's about the opportunity to travel to Europe, to spend time getting to know your car, seeing sights, touring--whatever you and yours wish. It's a vacation and a car--at substantially less than you'd pay for the car retail. Sure, you can get the car for less--without the vacation, in the course of a pedestrian car-buying experience, rife with all the "joy" that entails (spent too many hours in the "deal rooms" of prior dealerships to need to relive that!).
Might you be able to come up with the car for less? Of course--and given current incentives, it becomes a near-certainty if you afford the hotel and flight no actual cash value in your calculus.
In sum, if you're looking for the absolute cheapest way to acquire a car, OSD may not be the right choice. Either car that lives in our garage could have probably come home for less in terms of pure cash outlay. That said, if you're looking for the absolute best car-buying experience, as well as a memorable vacation, you may not need look any further. OSD isn't for everyone--but my house knows it's for us, and anticipates buying cars through no other vein. Way to gain brand loyalty of some thirty-somethings, Volvo.
