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Volvo Heritage to close.

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Old Dec 6th, 2005, 10:20   #11
Dan F
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Default RE: Ford into bankruptcy protection......

It will probably happen. :)

Yeah, a C70 with radical yet smooth styling and the Skyline engine and drivetrain would have enough kudos and charisma to tempt me!

I can only imagine what that would be like, other than fantastic of course! ;)

Dan.
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Old Dec 6th, 2005, 12:10   #12
Chris Wickers
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Default RE: Badge engineering is alive and well - despite what they say...

In my opinion, sadly everything comes down to cost.

The plans above will in theory save money by reducing manufacturing costs. The reason for the 'in theory' part is that if of course the products aren't desirable then they wont sell, and it is the start of a downard spiral......

The business I worked for (selling TVs, HiFis etc.) shut down in 2002 after some 50 years of trade.

The reason was simple - we needed between 1% to 2% more profit per year. No one was prepared to pay an extra couple of quid for their video recorder, or a tenner for their TV - so we sold them cheaply, yet still gave a very high level of service.

Having spoken to many of my old customers, they all complain bitterly about the demise of Kelleys, and the fact that the current mulitples offer no service, have no knowledge, and how they wished Kelleys would come back, although they still no doubt wouldn't want to pay for any form of service!

The car trade surely is no different?

Would it really matter if a £25,000 - V70 actually cost £25,500 and yet remained a true Volvo? or does everyone want a £25K V70 which is basically a Ford with a Volvo badge stuck on it.

As always, I suspect the Directors of the manufacturers will make their decisions on what they percieve the public actually want - they will still sell their cars - and then pat themselves on the back for having made the right decision, and take suitable bonuses! (In fairness there is no way they can actually tell if they would have made more money by adopting a different approach)

If further proof was needed - look at the number of country pubs selling good home cooked food, which have been taken over/bought by the large chains with their mass produced limp vegetables etc. (Thankfully the one where Thames Valley meet is still independent!)

Although I genuinely believe the above, I am probably being hypocritical as like most people I too always want a cheap price!
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Old Dec 6th, 2005, 14:30   #13
Alpha206
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Default RE: Ford into bankruptcy protection......

Volvo car business ends up in
>Renault's control.

Could make sense from one angle - think of Renault's development in the field of crash safety.

Question ref the C1 platform - is this the same platform as the S40/V50/Focus?


"Remember when it used to take three-and-a-half hours to cross the Atlantic?"
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Old Dec 8th, 2005, 09:35   #14
Alasdair Mackay
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Default RE: Ford into bankruptcy protection......

I had a big decision to make having gone through Volvo.s like a dose of---- now buying 3rd V70 T5 having sold my 2nd T6 S80. I was looking at a Mondeo ST220 3lt V6 at first viewing it looked good at a 2003 model 5 gear v6 30k on the clock massive dep to a price of £11k in 2 years value @ 50k mls say £5k. Their is no comparison in build quality between the 2 Volvo even today is far superior have a very very close look and have a very very close look at the V50.
Need I say anymore Oh and look at the performance figs
Regards
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Old Dec 8th, 2005, 17:46   #15
Triang
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Default RE: Badge engineering is alive and well - despite what they say...

I agree.

We all demand cheaper products and services ( then complain that service 'ain't what it used to be') I suppose.

Clearly Volvo could not remain independant and today's car market is so competative you would need to cut costs to shift the tin.

I remember that in a village where I used to live everyone was up in arms when a local butcher announced it's closure - but they all bought their sausages at an out of town Sainsburys...
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Old Dec 12th, 2005, 19:50   #16
drivesavolvo
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Default RE: Volvo Heritage to close.

I have been informed today that Volvo AB are about to make 35% of the workforce at factory 1 in sweden and factory 2 in belgium redundant.

Has anyone else heard anything along this line?

regards. Keith
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Old Dec 12th, 2005, 22:31   #17
Bob
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Default RE: Volvo Heritage to close.

The latest is about 1400 globally.

Bob
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Old Dec 14th, 2005, 08:30   #18
Geezer
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Default RE: Volvo Heritage to close.

Sod this...VOLVO is an institution in Europe and around the world...even NZ! I bought my 850 because it is a VOLVO, and not a Ford (Ok...VOLVO wasn't part of the "F" word when the 850 was in production). You know what Ford stands for don't you? "Fix Or Repair Daily!!

I love all VOLVO cars and I bet there are millions of people all around the world who are loyal to the brand, who love VOLVO cars (foibles and all) for what they are.

VOLVO have always produced vehicles that are "different" in some respect from the norm, not only in terms of design but in terms of safety as well. They have been innovators for many years of some of the most important vehicle safety developments, including (I think and correct me if I'm wrong) 3 point seatbelts, windscreen wipers and hundreds of other innovations...too many to list!! We just can't let all of this just be absorbed and abused by Ford when they desire!

VOLVO as a brand, the companies inherent values etc. are (I feel) important to us all. The last thing I want to to see is VOLVO becoming part of a worldwide generic brand under Ford.

However I have a cunning plan...

Is there anyone out there old enough to remember "Wolfie" from "Citizen Smith"? Right...let's start a PEOPLES REVOLUTION and as VOLVO owners contact other VOLVO owners through means of the web, owners and enthuasiast clubs all around the world, mates, vehicle dealers, anybody you can think of that owns, has owned, or is seriously wanting to own a VOLVO and petition Ford (that bloody "F" word again) to keep VOLVO sacred and separate? There is nothing like a VOLVO and if this happens there never will be again!

Sorry if I sound like I'm ranting here...but I'll put my neck on the line and say VOLVO means more to me than just a car, VOLVO IS FOR LIFE!! What has Ford done for you??

So...C'Mon Ian...let's start a world wide petition against the Ford plan and keep VOLVO separate.

I'll sign first. POWER TO THE PEOPLE!!!

Cheers (I think),
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Old Dec 21st, 2005, 19:16   #19
Engineer
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Cool

Returning to the original post it should be noted that Ford carried out the same act to their own heritage in the UK and as far as I know the cars are still in moth balls somewhere. Having been employed at Ford in the past I will repeat one quote I remember made during a wage dispute "We (Ford) don't care what we produce as long as it returns a profit, therefore if we can make more money manufacturing and retailing washine machines rather than motor vehicles we will" You have been warned.
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Old Dec 21st, 2005, 23:04   #20
John Davies
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Default Volvo RIP

I suppose it was inevitable that economies of sale would come in sooner or later and that whatever Ford may have said when they took over the two companies are nudging closer together.

I used to buy Austin because despite badge engineering the cars were robust, well designed, capable of owner maintenance and built to last. I still have my 'last' Austin Cambridge, now forty years old and good for another forty. (It passed its MOT today so it is in my good books!)

I then switched to Volvos because alone of all car manufacturers at the time (apart from possibly Morgan!) with cars like the 144, and then 240 and 740 they were continuing to offer cars of a decent build quality and which were streets ahead of any British Leyland product (remember the Marina.......) It was rumoured at the time that when planning the 140 Volvo bought an Austin Cambridge - a good seller in Scandinavia at the time - and said 'Now let's see how we can improve on this....'

I am increasingly uninspired by the later Volvos - apart from anything else they are too technically complex - but can't see who to switch to next - perhaps I will have to keep my A60, 240 and 740 going until I finish motoring........


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