A report in Canada’s The Globe and Mail claims that Volvo is withdrawing from all but three major world auto shows – Detroit, Paris and one unnamed auto show in Asia – as part of a new marketing strategy.
According to a Volvo spokesperson, the new display format, which will debut at Paris, will be “unlike what anybody has seen before.” Volvo recently sold a run of 1,927 2016 XC90 SUVs in an online pre-sale campaign, with the entire allocation being sold off in less than two days, and may be feeling a bit optimistic about doing things differently. But not all of their dealers are thrilled. Toronto-area dealers have banded together to stake out a spot at the Toronto Auto Show, and although Volvo Canada has endorsed the initiative, the display will be funded entirely by the dealer body.
“…as part of a new marketing strategy.”
Or, lack there of.
WTF
As long as “a new marketing strategy” means “we have less money,” then I agree it’s new.
The new marketing strategy = save money on trade show exhibits.
Can’t say I disagree, actually. Most car buyers don’t attend car shows, anyway. You get most of your press before the car show season begins, or else at the first couple major ones. After that, you’re just burning money.
I completely agree. Use advertising money to raise awareness of your product.
I’d wager that a majority of buyers will purchase a car without going to an auto show.
Get the car to the magazines, and people will be aware.
It would be amusing to see how much of an impact this actually has on their sales. Auto Shows are notoriously bad these days for actually capturing customers – just use traditional advertisement, and give a few cars to your press fleet.
At the Atlanta show back in March, Volvo had been replaced by Mitsubishi. I sat in the Mitsubishis to see if they were truly as awful as the internet makes them out to be. The Mirage felt cheap, but the crossovers felt like good cars.
The Outlander LE, or the Outlander X, or the Outlander Sport, or the Outlander GL? That’s their product lineup these days.
That thing looks like a 1950s Nash!
It sounds as if the strategy is to get the dealers to pay for the show.
New strategy, as in we be broke!
Not Los Angeles????
They must be nuts.
Here in L.A. People do go to the Auto Show to decide what to buy.
Well, why not save some money? It’s not like anyone’s interested. I remember seeing like one person looking at Volvos at their stand at last year’s car show here in Denver. And I do believe he was wearing Birkenstocks.
I resemble this remark.
I bought all my new cars after seeing them first time at auto show. E.g. I saw newly redesigned in 2010 Sonata at SF auto show. I was shocked by how good new design was including interior and after while went to test drive. I did not like how it drives and droped it from my list but still, before auto show I had no idea that new Sonata even existed. Sometime I discover that certain automaker is not at auto show and figure out that they are out of money and better to stay away.
Oblivion is now a “marketing strategy”?
They nailed their target audience of introvert sociopaths. Those don’t go to the auto shows. And others Volvo just does not need because they might scare a college professor’s pregnant cousin attending with him a Volvo showroom event to check our her next car. The uncle might be checking out the new XC90 to replace his aging XC70.
The last time I was looking to buy a new car I really wanted to check out the C30. I didn’t want to visit the dealer, since the auto show was happening and EVERY car is supposed to be there, right? So I go to the local auto show and no Volvo! WTH!
Suffice it to say, I didn’t buy a C30.
You make a good point. One nice feature of auto shows is no sales pressure.
Maybe Volvo doesn’t want to scare people away before they’re lured into the showroom.
“Sounds good idea to me” ?
Word of mouth sells cars. Maybe an average buyer won’t go to an Auto Show, but they will ask a friend who does about “What’s a good car to get?”
Meanwhile, as Volvo becomes even more irrelevant …
I thought that the whole point of their Chinese overlords to acquire them was to get access to Western markets. In this aspect decision to hide from market does not make any sense.