With Saab’s post-sale future looking grimmer by the minute, Volvo is doing its part to shed light on the Swedish auto industry in 2012…with a bit of help from China, of course.
While Saab’s new ownership ran out of funds before the automaker could get on its feet, Chinese funding for Volvo seems to be doing the trick, at least according to a recent video of its new CEO, John Maloney, by Automotive News.
Maloney shared some promising insights on where the company is, and where it stands to be as 2012 progresses. For starters, the company is enjoying increased sales in the U.S., which has in turn allowed for the automaker to resume television advertisements.
The new CEO also suggested that Volvo expects to increase its U.S. sales volume beyond 65,000 vehicles for the year, which would mark about a 25 percent increase over 2011′s 53,948 recorded sales. Impressive expectations when you factor in that Volvo isn’t expecting much in terms of fresh product, with its most recent unveiling being a mild refresh of the XC90 utility later this month, and the popular S60′s total redesign before that.
Speaking of the Volvo S60, that car has been the undeniable savior for the brand’s resurrection since its launch in 2010, accounting for nearly 20,000 sales in 2011.
Maloney is a former Ford employee of 28 years, replacing former Volvo U.S. CEO Doug Speck, who was promoted to to senior vice president of marketing, sales and customer service for Volvo Cars out of Sweden.
References
1.’New CEO: Volvo…’ view
