I think that Volvo has a dual aim . . ., to be be the safest car and to successfully enter and compete in the luxury car segment. While Volvo sales have consistently increased recently, time will tell whether Volvo is able to break out of being what some consider a niche automaker and becoming a major player. I think that one thing that will hamper Volvo in the future is the fact advanced safety features are becoming ubiquitous s the board so that it will be more difficult for Volvo to distinguish itself in the future.

 

The one safety gap I have noticed in the increasing roof strength of Mercedes models vs Volvo models (IIHS website). Volvo was ahead of Mercedes for small overlap frontal collision protection and only caught up after being called out by the IIHS. Volvo seems to lead IMO vs Mercedes with features such as autonomous braking when put to some independent tests. Audi has been called out at least in a lawsuit for having seats that collapse in severe rear end collisions. I also remember seeing news article about a BMW convertible that rolled at seeming low speed and the rear deploying rollbars collapsed under the weight (6 series) resulting in fatalities. Safety from BMW seems to be something done as a necessity to keep up with competitors vs an actual core value, I feel the same about Audi. I would stick with Mercedes or Volvo for safety. I own an R230 SL550 I purchased CPO 5 years ago - by far its been the least reliable & least durable car I have ever purchased. My next car will likely be a Volvo.

 

Luxury Volvo Electric. As others mentioned the safety gap is diminishing. Volvo is giving away their safety research but that doesn’t mean other manufacturers will use it. How many MY19 cars are still sold with only one hood lock still? Volvo’s Vision 2020 does set them apart though.

Volvo now has 5 PHEV’s and the EV’s are right around the corner. This is probably their biggest area to be innovative along with autonomy features and more active safety. I want to see Volvo be successful, I‘m ok with them staying a niche automaker. I like being “The One Volvo guy” with my friends.

 

How many MY19 cars are still sold with only one hood lock still?

Our MY2019 has 2 hood hooks. Am i wrong here?

 

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Nora in Florida
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Many of the safety features on new cars are electronic based. So mitigation in front and rear can be had by almost any manufacturer. Which is why you see many of the safety items we have on our cars being duplicated by the Koreans in Kia and Hyundai. This trend will continue. What is unique is the build quality of the platform and the integration of components resulting in a safety cage that can withstand crashes. I believe that Volvo will continue to excel in this area. Having said that, both Mercedes, VW Group, and BMW will respond to market pressure to provide evidence of safe cars. They have much deeper pockets so to speak if they choose to spend the money. I think it is less an issue as to whether Volvo is the leader and more important that all manufacturers build safety into their vehicles. Even though I could purchase a new Telluride or Palisades SUV with all the electronic safety features of the Volvo, I still prefer the looks of the Volvo. So at this price point I want it all. I would not have purchased the XC90 had it not been for the T8. They were really the first Plugin three row SUV to market. If it were not for the electrification of Volvo I would have probably gone elsewhere.

 

I love the safety of the Volvo, but it was the T8 that got me really interested. We had a volt and decided that our future vehicles would all be electrified. Had the Pacifica been first to market we may have purchased one. As it is now we have a bolt, xc90T8 and a Tacoma. I am looking forward to the next few years to see how the pickup truck EV choices develop. I hope that the up coming choices are as safe as our Volvo. All of the electronic safety is great, but somebody else can still do something stupid and your car has to protect you from that with proper structure. Volvo is still great at that and hopefully they will remain great. If everyone else catches up with them it just makes us all safer. Isn't it great to have fewer bad choices.

 

All the features mentioned here are features tested and compared... Volvo still leads with many things others simply don't offer. Pretensioners at every single seat in all rows. Front seats both attached to the B pillar with high strength steel to push you away from impact and with the ability to collapse with downward force (IE running off road). And others. Volvo's own testing methods are above and beyond the standards as well with higher speeds tested and more people sizes. Volvo is still going to live accidents to gather data. The way I explain it is that everyone is doing a great job passing the multiple choice test, Volvo is constantly ready for the essay exam. Safety sells after you need it. The move to pure luxury was important for marketing and we're seeing more "new" Volvo owners because of it. I don't see many Geely folks in Volvo Management structure... they mostly said "here's money, make us even more" and it's been working pretty well.

I think Volvo is doing pretty well against the luxury segment. I've been with Volvo for less than two years and feedback with the current SPA cars compared to the other brands is pretty equal so far as the feedback I hear. The only somewhat consistent concern is the 4 banger motor, but most brands are shifting that way, and a vast majority of drivers find that it makes more than enough power regardless. Tech paring with Google should likely free up some money as well. I've always said the car companies should focus on cars and the tech companies should focus on tech. Neither has shown any great ability in doing the other's job. As for the future of safety, it's not a bad thing to be at a plateau.. because it is a right high point Volvo has gotten to.. and Volvo isn't shy about helping other companies get there too with their safety data sharing... Not a great idea from an intellectual property value standpoint, but it shows good will.

 

Yes

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A few observations;

1 - As many of you point out, everyone has safety now. Subaru ate Volvo's lunch years ago selling off of safety and did so in a much more emotional way. Volvo has always tried to sell rationally. In this day and age of viral, content and quick hit attention span focused marketing, emotion will win every time. Tesla, M-B, BMW and many other established luxury players do a good job telling their safety (and survival) stories nowadays. Takeaway: Safety is not enough anymore.

2 - Argue what you will about Volvo being the "safest" or first mover on various technologies, they do not and never have had the marketing budgets to claim those consistently as their own. When in doubt, refer back to # 1 anyways. Takeaway: To consumers, Volvo is not a leader in safety that we all might believe them to be.

3 - We are living in a time of no bad choices as @VTbuckeye points out - "Isn't it great to have fewer bad choices". In the absence of any bad choices (and this applies to safety as well), people will always chose the vehicle that they feel suits their life the best. Is it flashy enough for the neighborhood? Is it understated enough? Does it tell people what I'm about? Subaru has done a really good job of defining what they stand for - Love. Love = family, safety, community, commitment to causes. Mercedes has also maintained a strong brand image - The Best or Nothing. The Best = performance, luxury, safety, pick your attribute... Tesla, well we all know what this brand projects. Sustainability, performance on a different plane, futurism, etc. Takeaway: In an era of no badly made products, consumers are free to buy whatever suits them.

Like it or not, Volvo is only a niche player in a niche market (luxury). Truthfully, they are seldom on any other manufacturers radar. That is why many of us respect the brand - they have walked their own road for a long time. They need to continue to refine products and their niche though to survive.

For context, Subuaru sold 680,135 cars in 2018. Volvo sold 98,786 or 14.5% of Subaru. I know many will say Subaru is not relevant, but conquesting data tells otherwise. Subaru has been conquesting Volvo, BMW and many other luxury makers sales for years and is probably the only brand in the US Market in the last 10+ years to show consistent sales growth. Something all these other brands would kill for.

I hope Volvo has a strong future and suspect if it does, US built cars and electrification are going to be key to a future.

 

A few observations;

For context, Subuaru sold 680,135 cars in 2018. Volvo sold 98,786 or 14.5% of Subaru. I know many will say Subaru is not relevant, but conquesting data tells otherwise. Subaru has been conquesting Volvo, BMW and many other luxury makers sales for years and is probably the only brand in the US Market in the last 10+ years to show consistent sales growth. Something all these other brands would kill for.

I hope Volvo has a strong future and suspect if it does, US built cars and electrification are going to be key to a future.

Not sure where you got your numbers from? Volvo should finish out the year having sold well over their 2018 total of 642,253 vehicles World Wide. Yes, in 2018 they sold 98,786 in the United States. So Volvo participates world wide with their cars. They sell 3 times as many cars in Europe as they do here in the US. Subaru only sold about 35,000 cars in Europe. So their focus is the US Marketplace. They (Subaru) are reasonably priced cars. People seem to like them because they are very utilitarian, and often keep them for many years. Subaru is not on my radar as a car I would want to own or drive. However, I do give them credit for consistently selling more vehicles each year. I also like their dog commercials a lot.

 

If you think Subaru is a safety leader, please think again. They were one of the biggest offenders in the passenger small overlap test scandal:
https://www.consumerreports.org/suv...vs/6-small-suvs-fare-worse-crash-test-on-front-passenger-side-than-driver-side/
Volvo XC90 generation 1 passed the small overlap test with flying colors, even when it was a really old car that was designed when this test did not exist.

I agree with you they are great at marketing, though. Terrible engines, horrible gearboxes, awful interiors... but an image of a family-friendly, outdoorsy car. People that know nothing about cars love them, and there is nothing wrong with that, but they are light-years away from Volvo.

 

 

Great video.

Regarding safety, sure, many companies have increased their safety standard. I think the key differentiator of Volvo is found around 3:35 where Volvo safety is "forward-thinking" and well ahead of government requirements - I don't think this can be said of any other manufacturer. The decades-long entrenched safety ethos and its resulting business decisions, technical features, etc that flow down from this ethos are a tough challenge for competitors to match.

As an anecdote (and if anyone knows the source please do share) I heard of a crash test of a MY2011 Audit* Q7 and MY2011 Volvo XC90 to 2018 US standards. Can you guess which passed US standards 7 years into the future with flying colors?

Volvo. For Life.

*Because their corporate ethics (along with BMW, MB, etc) need some serious auditing after Dieselgate . . .

 

The rating doesn't (always?) tell the whole story.
EURONCAP published new test data, also of the 2019 Audi Q7:
https://www.euroncap.com/en/results/Audi/Q7/38855
The XC90 is still better, even much better on standard safety assist features:
https://www.euroncap.com/nl/results/volvo/xc90/20976
Although both cars earn 5 stars, the 2019 Q7 has 72% for safety assist, the 2015 XC90 has 94%.
The Q7 can probably had with more safety features, but you will have to pay axtra.
Buyers of the Q7 can or will spend more on comfort and luxury and less on safety.
So only part of the Q7s will have as much safety assist features as all XC90s have.
I feel Volvo is still ahead of the competition.

 

Very interesting information. Thanks

 

I happen to take a look at a Subaru Forum where someone asked about reliability especially with the newer Subaru vehicles. One individual listed a site that shows all the cars that qualified as Lemon Law vehicles in the State of New Jersey. I checked out the list and what was interesting was the following: From 2008 to 2019 there were approximately 1901 Subaru vehicles all models, 1121 Audi vehicles, 1239 BMW vehicles, and 110 Volvos. With respect to Volvo there were a lot of 2016 XC90, way fewer 2017 XC90 and hardly any 2018 XC90 vehicles. I imagine each State must have a link to what they see in terms of Lemon Law vehicles. It would be interesting to find out how California and Texas compare. Here is the link: https://www.njconsumeraffairs.gov/llu/Documents/Vehicles-Branded-Under-The-New-Jersey-Lemon-Law.pdf

 

Wonder what they call in Dutch the Navigator then[emoji1787]

Volvo for Life

 

For context, Subuaru sold 680,135 cars in 2018. Volvo sold 98,786 or 14.5% of Subaru. I know many will say Subaru is not relevant, but conquesting data tells otherwise. Subaru has been conquesting Volvo, BMW and many other luxury makers sales for years and is probably the only brand in the US Market in the last 10+ years to show consistent sales growth. Something all these other brands would kill for.

I see many Volvo sales going to Subaru, but it's not all a bad thing. As per the topic, Volvo has made huge shifts in the past few years. Going from an older crowd to a younger expensive crowd (Volvo's data shows that we have the youngest most affluent buyers in many of our segments). So those older loyal customers are less likely to be seeing large increases in automotive budget as they reach retirement age. As their P2 cars wear out they can't all afford, or don't want to pay for the great new luxury Volvo has. The old Volvo's were good enough and the new ones cost a good bit more. However, Volvo is selling more cars than ever before, so the gain in new young affluent buyers if a greater business gain that the older customers who are choosing not to keep up. Likewise, many Subaru customers move up to Volvo as Subaru doesn't offer a true luxury line and those same marketing angles that let some legacy Volvo customers move to Subaru cause Subaru folks to move up as their income improves. I think business wise it was very well executed. Most moves like this with smaller companies completely fail. Certainly the Geely investment made a huge difference.

 

Agree with your observations. I believe that Volvo has done what a lot of other manufacturers wish they could have pulled off. Volvo built a solid foundation over the years that allows them to build beyond. I would never have considered Volvo had they not introduced a XC90 Plugin PHEV. That made me look at their product line. What I saw struck me as brilliant. I continue to feel that way. When I recently looked at Audi's new all electric E-Tron I was really impressed until I visited their enthusiast's forum page. There I saw what makes all the winning I see here pale in comparison. The E-Tron group feels basically screwed over. There seems to be no interaction with Audi.

 

As the EVA initiative has shown, Volvo has a vast database of actual accidents that Volvo collects at the scene of actual accidents in Sweden. Volvo investigators often beat the first responders at these accidents. Volvo then duplicates these real world accidents at their safety center, and builds their cars accordingly. Volvo does not build their cars to just pass a few simplistic crash tests that the crash test agencies do. The Small Overlap crash test, the test that all car makes have had trouble with, including Tesla, proves this. When the IIHS sprung this test on the automotive world, only Volvo had a 100% 'good' score on all it's models -- from the start!

And Volvo's EVA initiative is moving forward rapidly to address the disparity in female injury and deaths compared with male counterparts. Women are 71% more likely to be injured in a crash, and 17% more likely to be killed. All that crash data from real world accident that Volvo has? It's being offered to all other car makers so they too can improve safety for female passengers.

And here's something for Tesla partisans, as well. .... The Volvo XC60 does better in electronic stability control than the Model X. The XC60 passes at 77 kph, and the Model X fails at 72 kph.

The NHTSA rollover test is a silly test where a car is pushed sideways, with no forward motion, into a sand pit. It does not test electronic stability control.

I looked for the XC90 test as well, but this group has not tested an XC90 yet.

Yes, the gap in safety is being closed on Volvo, but that's because all the other makes are coming from so far down. It's really hard to get near to where Volvo is in safety.

 

In 2018, Thatcham Research said that no one had been killed in an XC90 in the UK, and that Volvo had sold just over 50,000 XC90s since 2002.

https://www.thedrive.com/news/20203/report-the-volvo-xc90-has-never-had-a-fatal-crash-in-britain

By the end of 2019 Tesla has sold about 72,000 Model Xs in the US.

https://www.goodcarbadcar.net/tesla-model-x-sales-figures-usa-canada/

According to this site, 3 people have been killed in the Model X in the US, 1 driver and 2 passengers.

https://www.tesladeaths.com/

To summarize, 72,000 Model Xs with 3 deaths in the US. ...... Over 50,000 XC90s in the UK with 0 deaths.

 

The conquests by Subaru and the sticker shock by me and some others on this site are due to Volvo's attempt at upmarket pricing. Can't say I blame them, but many Volvo buyers are notoriously frugal, like me.

My answer was to find a 2020 XC90 Momentum for about the same price that we paid 10 years ago for our XC90 R-Design, about $43k. See my recent Sweet Spot For Me post for more.

BTW, true luxury for me is max safety features, decent drivability around town, and best of class driver assistance.

 

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Nora in Florida
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