Comments on: Report: Ford in “desperate attempt” to sell Volvo… Possibly to China

By: acura_el2000

acura_el2000 — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 05:14:32 +0000

Why can’t the owner of IKEA buy them? I’m sure they have the capital, and I personally would like to see some of that quirky Swedish innovation stay with Volvo.

By: elviososa

elviososa — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 03:35:56 +0000

I would hate to see volvo leaves Ford……but that’s might be the only choice that Ford has now.

By: sharpie

sharpie — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 21:53:21 +0000

When the ship is taking on water, you’ve gotta throw everything overboard to stay afloat. Volvo is next. Sigh!

By: whodat

whodat — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 19:33:00 +0000

It is amazing how uninformed posters to a automotive site realy are. 1) Ford and GM are mismanaged. While the sudden change in consumer tastes has inproportionatly affected the domestic automakers, Ford for one had just as many fuel efficient vehicles as Toyota on a line by line comparison (excluding Prius). True in the 90’s and early 2000’s domestics relied too much on trucks and SUV’s, however that is what the public wanted to buy. In fact, Toyota spent billions in developing the Tundra and the new plant in Texas to build it, right before the bottom dropped out of the market. So is Toyota mis-managed too?
2) Sell Mercury – Mercury is not a truely stand alone brand. Every model is variation of a Ford branded vehicle. Not much market value if you are trying to buy a company, no plant or equipement either. While Ford and Volvo share some architecture, the brands could still be split and Volvo has it’s own manufacturing facilities. 3) Volvo has been loosing money. While Ford did not traditionally publish model line profits, Volvo was the bright star in the PAG group. You must be thinking of Jag/Land Rover in the money loosing statement.

By: gugy

gugy — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 17:12:16 +0000

With the Chinese quality control reputation, if this becomes true, Volvo will get even worse than what they are today. I see a very painful death to Volvo.

By: Lariat Luxury Locomotive Liner No.3

Lariat Luxury Locomotive Liner No.3 — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 16:50:08 +0000

Culturally, and historically, it is always a loss to sell-off your manufacturing to another country when its core resides in its country of origin.

By: HoosierHero

HoosierHero — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 16:32:02 +0000

lol Volvo has been losing money for years. Who the hell cares who buys them?? Ford will do well to dump them while they can. Then they can focus on the #1 market in the world (the U.S.).

By: J2D

J2D — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 14:07:36 +0000

I feel that selling Volvo is a bad idea, Ford would be better off getting rid of Mercury instead. What volvo really needs is a styling change with a new direction other than what’s being used now, which IMO is showing it’s age.

By: howsmydriving

howsmydriving — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 14:05:38 +0000

If the Volvo nameplate would disappear, I would again believe in God.

By: SlowCarsFast

SlowCarsFast — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 10:51:33 +0000

A Hyundai-owned Volvo would be rather interesting. I have yet to see how well their Genesis line is doing in the North American market, but my gut reaction is that, no matter how many ponies it has underhood, people will tend to choose brand prestige over specs. I suspect the Genesis will flop, and if Hyundai wants any stake in the premium market, they’d best start with an established name. Volvo is irreversibly Swedish, even with its Ford guts, and I think they’d have no problem weathering any Korea-wariness there might still be in the auto market.

By: LDMAN

LDMAN — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 08:31:06 +0000

Would not it be cheaper to simply buy Ford in the long run? Volvo is so integrated with FoMoCo that whoever ends up buying it will have to buy engines and component from Ford for the next 8 to 10 years.
SAIC is not doing a stellar job with whatever is left from Rover, and I hope that they are big enough to realize that buying Volvo will for them be a proverbial case of biting off more that they chew.
Case in point Tata Motors and Jaguar Land Rover.
Most of the PAG brands are cursed. I would steer clear of Volvo.

By: AnonymousCoward

AnonymousCoward — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 07:42:59 +0000

Incredible how companies like GM and Ford can be so mismanaged…