Volvo’s new XC90 uses technology to play with local feelings
The 12th Guangzhou Auto Show is in full swing. From the perspective of the return to the origin of this auto show, in the moment of paying attention to oneself and paying attention to the circle, rational consumption is moving towards life. And based on this, there is a high-level spiritual demand to upgrade to taste and feelings. This Guangzhou Auto Show is such an important display platform for self-expression, from life to high-level demand integration. Among them, the performance of new cars in the luxury car market is undoubtedly given an important responsibility to improve the level of demand based on life.
From the Guangzhou Auto Show that lasted for several days, there are not many luxury cars released this time, among which the Asian debut of the new Volvo XC90 has attracted special attention from the industry. The Asian debut of the XC90 can be said to be the biggest highlight of the Volvo booth.
Why did the new Volvo XC90 choose China for its Asian debut?
Volvo Car Group has released financial data for the first half of 2014: with strong growth in key markets such as China, Sweden and Western Europe, global retail sales reached 229,013 vehicles in the first half of the year, an increase of 9.5% year-on-year. After the full-year operating profit in 2013 improved to 1.90 billion Swedish kronor, Volvo Cars showed continued profitability and demonstrated the success of the transformation strategy.
According to Volvo Car Group China recently announced: In October 2014, monthly sales in China reached 6,917 units, an increase of 36% year-on-year; the cumulative sales in China in the first 10 months were 65,827 units, an increase of 35.8% year-on-year. In October 2014, Volvo Cars worldwide has maintained 16 consecutive months of continuous sales growth, with a total of 40,680 units sold in a single month, an increase of 12.6% year-on-year; the global sales in the first 10 months totaled 379,880 units, an increase of 9.5% year-on-year, exceeding the annual sales in 2013.
From the above data, it can be seen that the Asian automotive market is of great significance to Volvo. To be exact, grasping China, the largest single market in the world for Volvo Cars, must be a top priority for Volvo’s future development.
In addition, after Volvo cars were acquired by Geely Group, China has become its second home for growth. After gaining Geely Group’s advantageous resources in China, it will of course be more important to develop products suitable for this market based on local users and the car environment. So, what the new Volvo XC90 has done with local characteristics is also worth paying attention to!
The localization and lifestyle marketing of Volvo Cars
To observe whether a company is integrated into the local market, the most intuitive way is its marketing promotion. We can roughly summarize the relevant activities Volvo has done in the past few months:
In February this year, the new powertrain of Volvo Drive-E "E-Drive Intelligent Technology", which was defined by Volvo as a power technology revolution, was launched simultaneously with the launch of the Volvo XC60. It is reported that the new powertrain is more outstanding in performance, using technical means to achieve high performance, low emissions and low fuel consumption. The new technology can be said to benefit Chinese consumers simultaneously.
In July, Volvo Cars officially launched the Sensus innovative technology sub-brand in China to build a smart car ecosystem. At the same time, it joined hands with the original life network to advocate the cross-border move of urban elites to "go home for dinner", which has become a classic case of interactive marketing in the industry.
In September, the XC90, which had been listed in Sweden earlier, was sold globally for the first time on the e-commerce platform with 1,927 new Volvo XC90 limited editions with unique exclusive numbers. It sold out within 47 hours, and 500 pre-order limited numbers in China were sold out in just 47 minutes.
In November, the new Volvo XC90 made its Asian debut at the 12th Guangzhou Auto Show, attracting the attention of local consumers with its luxury SUV brand influence.
The above Volvo cars have performed for several months in a row, and the move to get close to life and dig deep into the local soil to adapt to survival is already very obvious. The luxury SUV positioning of the new Volvo XC90 is highly consistent with the existing emerging elite in China; just as its marketing in the July event "Advocating Urban Elite to Go Home for Dinner" has begun to integrate humanistic feelings, and has some similarities with the "home culture" message of "often go home" in China.
As we all know, luxury cars need to reflect consumers’ tastes in terms of brand fit, in addition to their excellent performance in hardware such as model configuration and workmanship. Recently, I have discussed the current car consumption psychology with friends in the industry, and the specific conclusion is that China’s car consumption is no longer the luxury consumption consciousness of the past. Hundreds of thousands of cars are more tools and daily necessities; the understanding of high-priced luxury cars is more and more circled, and the car is beginning to require more emotional elements. For the new Volvo XC90, which is positioned as a luxury SUV, recognizing the above two points is already half the battle.
In addition, from the perspective of the model itself, investing in the latest and most cutting-edge technology is undoubtedly a sign of respect for the local market.
The all-new Volvo XC90 model is remarkable
The new Volvo XC90 has been greatly improved. For the first time, it adopts a more three-dimensional and luxurious suspension logo design. It is integrated with the oblique span of the middle net line and cooperates with the official promotion of the "Quake" daytime running lights, which is new. At the same time, in order to further strengthen the visual power of a large luxury SUV, it is given a wider and more muscular engine cover design, and cooperates with the waist line of the body and the shoulder line of the rear, which clearly outlines the power of Volvo’s styling. According to official data, a series of large-size wheel hub choices for the new car are also consistent with the style of the whole vehicle.
In terms of interior, the new XC90 is made of materials such as leather, wood, and crystal, and the details are meticulously processed by hand, giving the new car a more tactile luxury experience.
The new Volvo XC90 is equipped with a 2.0-liter mechanical, turbocharged four-cylinder Drive-E "E-Drive Intelligent Technology" engine. The top model will use high-efficiency dual-engine technology, which is coordinated by mechanical, turbocharged engines and electric motors. It is expected to have a better power experience in the future.
Safety is believed to be the most important thing for consumers who come into contact with Volvo. As a luxury SUV, the new Volvo XC90 provides road departure protection system and automatic braking technology at intersections – City Safety City Safety System. This system can more effectively detect other cars, bicycles and pedestrians in front of the vehicle, day or night. There is no doubt that such a forward-looking technology will add points to Volvo XC90. It is also a good intention to invest this safety system in China and share cutting-edge technological achievements with Chinese consumers.
In today’s hot vehicle to everything configuration performance, Volvo’s self-developed consensus vehicle system integrates the operation of five vehicle interconnection functions, including mobile Internet (Connect), service (Service), entertainment (Entertain), navigation (Navi), and convenient control (Control). Its open mode is compatible with Apple’s Carplay system and Google’s Andriod Auto system. At the same time, the core platform of the Senses system, Volvo On Call, covers a number of functions closely related to intelligent driving, such as remote engine start/remote control air conditioning, remote vehicle sound, collision self-help, driving log recording, etc., rich configuration, allowing drivers to experience today’s cutting-edge intelligent driving technology.
At the 12th Guangzhou Auto Show, luxury cars were not short of attention due to their brand power, cool configuration, and new driving experience. However, what can be called highlights at the moment, in addition to the above content, individuals are more interested in their own product advantages. Brands and products that can take care of local emotions at the same time, can the new Volvo XC90 use technology to demonstrate feelings? Looking forward to the marketing actions after the official launch of its products.













