Question marks continue to surround the future ownership of Ford’s Volvo brand, but that isn’t stopping the Swedish automaker from setting some lofty goals of moving the marque further up-scale to compete with the likes of Mercedes, BMW and Audi .
“We want to continue to compete with Mercedes, BMW and Audi ,” Steven Armstrong, Volvo ’s COO, told Automotive News. “We’re working to improve the premium-ness of the brand and our products.”
Armstrong’s claim could back up Ford ’s story that it has no plans to sell the Volvo brand in the immediate future. If Volvo could move up-scale to compete with the best German brands, Ford would be able to fetch a much higher price for its last remaining PAG brand.
The transition to a top-tier luxury brand would also take several years, which would allow the auto industry to rebound from its current state of decline and ultimately give Ford a bigger payday if and when it decides to sell Volvo.
Although Armstrong didn’t give full details on Volvo’s plans to move up-scale, he didn’t indicate the move would mean fewer Volvo models. More technology will also be part of the shift, with many Volvo models slated to get stop-start functions and brake-energy regeneration in the next year and a half.
Volvo’s plan to move upscale seems like a difficult proposition, but is certainly more realistic than Acura ’s plan to compete with Bentley and Maybach.
