If Volvo is your game, these charts are where you lay the blame. Kind of. The Good Car Guy compiled the Graphs, but that doesn’t mean GoodCarBadCar.net is responsible for the data which is found in the Graphs. In fact, though disappointed that Volvos can’t be just a speck better, most are downright enticing cars of which The Good Car Guy is a fan. The Volvo C30? It’s a dreamboat of a hatchback. The XC90 was as cool as a hipster wearing a 3rd-gen iPod in 2003. And the new 2011 Volvo S60, though a bit odd from some angles, is a stunner in person.
What about the Volvo XC60? Pictures can’t convey the depth of the XC60’s gentle style. It’s also a powerful and roomy alternative to the Audi Q5 and Mercedes-Benz GLK350 4Matic. Possession of one of the best interiors in the biz doesn’t hurt the XC60’s image.
Indeed, the XC60 has been a bit of a saviour for Volvo Cars Of North America. (The data below is for the United States only.) The only problem is, the XC60 can only be considered a saviour in the context of a product which has kept the company afloat, not one that’s restored Volvo to the level at which the company needs to compete. Volvo’s new boss, Stefan Jacoby, a man The Good Car Guy hasn’t always agreed with, has said the company doesn’t need to be “premium” to succeed. He’s right. But premium or not, Volvo needs to sell more vehicles.
Noticing the sales trend Volvo’s been forming lately, and taking note of Volvo’s XC60-specific trends, GoodCarBadCar.net is publishing an in-depth look at how the XC60 has kept Volvo’s spirits alive, how it’s taken over Volvo’s showrooms in the USA, and how other Volvos are performing poorly in comparison. There are five charts below. Read from them what you like after you take note of five points from The Good Car Guy. Click any chart for a larger view.
First up, these numbers compare every month of 2010 with 2009 (except January: there were no XC60s sold in January 2009). As you can see, only once in the last ten months have all of Volvo’s other vehicles combined to sell more vehicles this year than last. But every month manifests an improvement for the Volvo XC60.
Thanks for this indepth analysis. If Volvos were in my price bracket, there'd be one in my parking spot.
Strange but true. March has XC60 sales going up as C30 sales go down. April has XC60 sales going down as C30 sales go up. Then there's gradual evidence of that same trend until October and November when XC60 sals really went up and C30 sales really began to fall. Explain that.
They are doing something wrong with styling. Just look at the S60 with it's 17" rims. The rims are too small and make the car seem tiny, considering it can have a 300 hp engine.
The safety features and ride are good on the XC60 but exterior styling needs more, especially the headlights considering Audi and BMW stylistic headlights.