Volvo cars February sales volume down 2% year-on-year

[Discoman]

Originally Posted by James77

Lack of choice in range?
Dropping traditional estate models (in UK at least) possibly alienating core customer base?
Nonsensical charge to full electrification when most of the world really aren't ready and consumers haven't bought into or want it yet?
Over priced models such as forthcoming EX90?
Poorly implemented (and developing) AAOS system?
Lack of options in range prefer the BMW model where you pick packs with Volvo you'll end up with features you don't want, or want to pay for?
Just a few possibilities.

Agree with most of this. I would love another XC90 but don't want an Ultimate for price and spec reasons. Despite being very expensive these are commodity cars now. I would love to buy a car with a few options like BMW and Porsche offer. It's actually now at the stage where a Cayenne is better value if you factor in residuals and lack of option availability on cheaper XC90.

FWIW Volvo UK sales YTD (so two months) are down 2.5%. Market is up 10.3%.

[krzemien]

Originally Posted by Discoman

Agree with most of this.

Same here.

[sk546]

Originally Posted by Discoman

Agree with most of this. I would love another XC90 but don't want an Ultimate for price and spec reasons. Despite being very expensive these are commodity cars now. I would love to buy a car with a few options like BMW and Porsche offer. It's actually now at the stage where a Cayenne is better value if you factor in residuals and lack of option availability on cheaper XC90.

FWIW Volvo UK sales YTD (so two months) are down 2.5%. Market is up 10.3%.

I agree on the Cayenne comment, although they are more expensive (especially how I plan on optioning one) like you say their residuals will be stronger and you can order it exactly as you want it to be rather than with/without specific options that are/aren't available on the spec level of Volvo chosen, as such, its a better all around ownership option than Volvo and without all the AAOS & PHEV issues that come with it although I'm sure Porsche/BWM will have a few of their own for their platforms.

Volvo sealed their fate as far as my next car being one is concerned when they stopped selling the Polestar Engineered models in the UK (MY23), as such, my next car will have to be either BMW or Porsche (more likely Porsche as an X5 50e now costs similar to a Cayenne E-Hybrid so may as well go with the better car) in order to get a car that drives how I like them to drive.

[Discoman]

Originally Posted by sk546

I agree on the Cayenne comment, although they are more expensive (especially how I plan on optioning one) like you say their residuals will be stronger and you can order it exactly as you want it to be rather than with/without specific options that are/aren't available on the spec level of Volvo chosen, as such, its a better all around ownership option than Volvo and without all the AAOS & PHEV issues that come with it although I'm sure Porsche/BWM will have a few of their own for their platforms.

Volvo sealed their fate as far as my next car being one is concerned when they stopped selling the Polestar Engineered models in the UK (MY23), as such, my next car will have to be either BMW or Porsche (more likely Porsche as an X5 50e now costs similar to a Cayenne E-Hybrid so may as well go with the better car) in order to get a car that drives how I like them to drive.

I had to double check the numbers but a base Cayenne with my options was about £78k before any discount (some people say you can get a bit off them but not tried) and an Inscription XC90 B6 was £70k. Porsche finance is too expensive but the residuals are stronger so it so of evens out.

Volvo are just getting over confident about what they sell especially with the XC90 which is an old platform which should be cheaper than it is. Another brand for me next time too.

[sandys]

70k gets you in a top of the range T8 Ultra rather than entry engine, that's engine is 10k less Volvo have had these perpetual discounts running since who knows how long, to match an Ultra spec in the Cayenne, which in base has bugger all to start with is 95k never mind an e-hybrid.

They are playing in different ball parks you can option as you want sure that's because everything down to heated steering is an option, and talk about residuals etc, but who is buying a secondhand base spec Cayenne with buggerall Options Options are pretty much free in the seconds market and a used buyer will be looking for as many creature comforts as possible.

I mean, I agree Volvos cars are old donkeys now but are they that over priced really considering the market and prices they actually sell at, think I had 13k off mine.

Also on the residuals point, EVs might have it bad now but anything non EV is going to be on a hiding to nothing over the next few years as it's vilified by governments for emissions and weight there will be no winners, particularly for hum drum SUVs, which regardless of badge of it they all are.

[sk546]

Originally Posted by sandys

70k gets you in a top of the range T8 Ultra rather than entry engine, that's engine is 10k less Volvo have had these perpetual discounts running since who knows how long, to match an Ultra spec in the Cayenne, which in base has bugger all to start with is 95k never mind an e-hybrid.

They are playing in different ball parks you can option as you want sure that's because everything down to heated steering is an option, and talk about residuals etc, but who is buying a secondhand base spec Cayenne with buggerall Options Options are pretty much free in the seconds market and a used buyer will be looking for as many creature comforts as possible.

I mean, I agree Volvos cars are old donkeys now but are they that over priced really considering the market and prices they actually sell at, think I had 13k off mine.

Also on the residuals point, EVs might have it bad now but anything non EV is going to be on a hiding to nothing over the next few years as it's vilified by governments for emissions and weight there will be no winners, particularly for hum drum SUVs, which regardless of badge of it they all are.

I think you need to reacquaint yourself with the actual prices of Cayenne's rather than some imaginary number you have pulled from thin air.
The base price of a Cayenne E-Hybrid (which now has a bigger battery, better range and more powerful ICE than any T8 Volvo offer, not to mention it having a lovely v6 engine rather than a 4 pot) is £79,800 which is pretty much the same as the list price of the XC90 T8 Ultra before any discounts are included and yes, you would need to throw a handful of options at it to get it to a good spec level but its far from being a poverty spec car.
As its a new facelifted model now (released late 23), the whole thing is much more modern feeling inside and out than the current SPA Volvos as well.
Edit: Just noticed that the actual list price of an XC90 T8 Ultra is £83k without reductions (on PCP or Volvo loan), £79k was for a cash purchase with a £4k reduction included.

From a purely badge snobbery point of view (something I don't go in for just before anyone jumps in on that as I have owned Volvo's for over 4 years), a Porsche badge will always win over most other German badges as well as a Volvo badge and as such, the residuals will always be higher, especially when Volvo are offering big discounts off new list prices as thats always a great way of destroying the used values of a car.

Unfortunately for me, the Volvo XC60 PE offered fantastic valve for money as far as performance and driver involvement went compared to its German rivals but as that is no longer an option, I will have to go with whats available which will mean spending considerably more initially, however, residual values will be better going forward so the overall ownership costs shouldn't be too dissimilar.

[sandys]

Originally Posted by sk546

I think you need to reacquaint yourself with the actual prices of Cayenne's rather than some imaginary number you have pulled from thin air.

I did actually price the car from base rather than ehybrid on Porsche site, its their prices not mine, perhaps ehybrid is better specced for a starting point and the Volvo prices with starting discount are actually off of Volvos site, that's before talking to dealer and getting loyalty etc.

No fantasy in my numbers

Edit - just specced the e hybrid similar to the ultra you are looking at £99k

I kept spec simple, just matching the xc90.

Colour
Leather seats with heat/cooling and massage
Pan roof
Roof rails
PDDC (of course this is a bit higher than Volvo, you could save 1k here and just have air)
Matrixs lights to match the active lights
Heated steering
Porsches equivalent of bliss and ACC
HUD
Air quality system.


The Porsche is going to be a better car no doubt but you are not getting it for anywhere near Volvo money.

[Discoman]

Some of these posts work on the presumption that you want the spec. I don't want a lot of what is on an Ultimate but want air suspension so they force me into it. As for the Cayenne my spec for the basic V6 was £78k with all I needed (and still quite nice). As a cash purchase I am sure that over 4-5 years it would depreciate less than the equivalent XC90 (I don't want a plug in).

It's all academic for me as I am keeping my XC90 another three years and riding the lower depreciation curve but if they would sell me a Core with air suspension and a sunroof then it would be ordered.

[DG97]

Personally I’m against the move Volvo are making into more expensive SUV and EV vehicles. The market isn’t strictly asking for it and suddenly having your range of cars trimmed and base prices touching 45-50k+, you’re suddenly finding that a big pool of potential customers will turn away as they’re simply priced out.

My worry for Volvo is that with EVs stagnating a little bit, infrastructure well behind, people clocking onto the massive depreciation and that the government support is propping up sales charts (withdraw it like Germany did and sales plummet), Volvo are putting their eggs in one basket and perhaps those eggs are a little rotten.

Either way, I think the bump in numbers as a percentage for S/V vehicles is interesting but as a standalone number not particularly crazy. I think with the announcement of these cars being withdrawn, things like pre-reg cars, stock purchases etc will have driven that number up. The general trend of the past few years, at least for the S cars, does support the decision to drop.

I’ve recently got back into a 2019 S60 T5 after having one before and in all honesty, if I was looking at something newer, I’d struggle to find myself in the range. XC60 too expensive for the spec desired, XC90 in a completely different league. XC40 isn’t quite my style and not got the facilities or lifestyle to live with an EV (or even a PHEV). A real shame when every one of your competitors has a car to meet my requirements other than Volvo.

[MikeGMT]

I had a call out of the blue a few weeks ago re; the Volvo Car Sales Event. I have no intention of parting with my current vehicle, but was curious about the new EX30, so agreed to pop down. Sitting down with the Sales Person over a coffee I remarked 'to save us from wasting each others time, I don't want electric or plug in hybrid or a SUV, but would be interested in a new wagon, so what can you offer me?' You can guess the answer, so I popped out again.