Volvo Cars’ “Made by Sweden” campaign has taken a new direction in 2016 to celebrate the company’s diverse workforce. Honouring the people who come from all over the world – including South Africa – to create unique Swedish luxury vehicles, the new “Made by People” campaign highlights actual Volvo Cars employees – its own heroes – and the best-selling Volvo XC60.
“A diverse workforce delivers many benefits. Different approaches and critical thinking are vital when creating something new. You just need to consider the huge success of the award-winning XC90 and our record sales in 2015 to understand the impact that diversity has at Volvo. We believe that a large part of Volvo’s continuing success can be attributed to diversity and what we call the ‘Volvo spirit’,” says Björn Annwall, Senior Vice President, Marketing Sales and Service at Volvo Cars.
Champion XC60 is Europe’s best-selling midsize SUV – and the star of the campaign
On the back of Volvo Cars’ 2015 global sales record, which saw sales of over 500 000 vehicles for the first time in history, the Volvo XC60 has emerged as the best-selling midsize SUV in Europe – according to independent automotive research firm, JATO.
This milestone is another indicator of Volvo Cars’ ongoing transformation and growth story. It also highlights the lasting appeal of the elegant and adaptable XC60, which has been Volvo’s best-selling model since 2009.
The leading position for the XC60 comes as the SUV segment emerged for the first time as the most popular car segment in Europe, in 2015, according to JATO. The XC60 has allowed Volvo Cars to compete head-on with- and beat its German competitors in the segment, one of the most competitive in the market. Europe is Volvo Cars’ most important sales region, representing more than half of the company’s total global sales.
The XC60 was launched globally in 2008 and has recorded steadily-improving sales figures every year since. Now in its ninth year of production, the XC60 remains relentlessly popular amongst consumers and over 750 000 units have been sold globally since its introduction.
In 2012, the car breached the 100 000 units mark for the first time and in 2015 almost 160 000 XC60 models were sold around the globe. The most important markets for the XC60 in 2015 were China, the United States and Sweden. Within Europe, the XC60 has also proven to be highly popular in key markets such as Germany, the United Kingdom and France.
Having arrived in South Africa early in 2009, the XC60 has contributed over 20 per cent of Volvo Car South Africa’s local annual sales, to date.
Made by Sweden – Made by People
The distinctive blend of smart functionality, leading safety and progressive design that embodies Volvo’s approach to creating premium cars is based on the Swedish car maker’s strategy of delivering products which understand, support and improve people’s lives.
“Our workforce is growing by the year as our sales increase. At the moment we have close to 50 nationalities actively contributing to the design, development, marketing, sales and service of our cars. Diversity is not just about age, gender, sexual orientation or ethnicity – it’s about harnessing the knowledge, experience and personalities of the people that come to work with us. We believe that diversity delivers better products,” concludes Annwall.
Volvo employees from different backgrounds, working across the company in a wide range of roles, are featured in the new campaign – from designers and engineers, to workers on the factory floor.
