Today, what separates one luxury automaker from another. Design and Branding. Volvo’s brand design language truly stands out among the pack, and they not the only ones who think so. The motoring and lifestyle media are all taken by the cabin and exterior design of the new Volvo models. In 2016, Volvo Cars earned the 2016 Brand Design Language Award from the international Car Design Award jury at an event in Turin, Italy beating out volume car brands like BMW, Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz, Citroen and even Kia.
Customers are also impressed and would be customers will agree but walk into a competing brand showroom and buy another. Why? Well, this is simple. Branding. Yes, branding is the next important factor that Volvo Cars needs to move its sales closer to the German brands.
We all know that the real beauty in any Volvo, new or old, is their obsession with safety.
- Volvo first started the safety angle in the 1940s and became completely obsessed with it through the 1960s long before consumers cared about safety when no one was even wearing seat belts. But the market place has since caught up. In 2018 it is clear that Malaysian customers are starting to want more safety features in a new car.
- In 1958 Volvo came up with the 3-point seat belt. Even with a patent they could have enforced and made millions of dollars, Volvo decided to share the technology for FREE with all the other car manufacturers because they believed so strongly in it. That really speaks to Volvo’s conviction and authenticity.
- Volvo has always been way ahead of car safety regulations. In fact, as safety became a priority with consumers, regulators looked at what Volvo was doing as the standard and then made Volvo’s advancements mandatory across other companies. In the 1990s, Volvo was ahead of the curve on the introduction of air bags and side-air bags.
The Volvo vision statement: “Nobody should die or be seriously injured in a Volvo” is now ringing in many car brands as they start emphasizing more on safety equipment.
Look at Honda Malaysia as an example. Honda is moving head on into SENSING technology for their new models. The latest CR-V was the first with SENSING safety technology and was closely followed by the Accord and Odyssey. The latest Kia Picanto compact car comes with 6-airbags. The rest are following and many have forgotten about Volvo’s commitment to safety from the early models.
Volvo Cars should return to this branding to enforce their commitment in keeping their car passengers and drivers safe whilst providing great comfort and drive dynamics. “407bhp in total safety” should be the next Volvo tagline.
