Robots work on an automobile at a Volvo production plant in Sweden. (Photo : Getty Images)
China automaker Geely and Volvo Cars have unveiled on Wednesday, Nov. 2, the upgraded versions of S90 sedan range which will be entirely made in China, as the two companies boost efforts to sell and export cars to the world market, according to an article published in usnews.com.
The S90 models were designed to highlight Volvo's focus on China luxury car market. The new 'super luxury version" has a touchscreen console, replacing the front passenger seat. It has a space to store shoes underneath, which was designed for Chinese executives with chauffeurs.
The two companies also announced plans to build a factory that will make compact cars, Volvo's new 40 series, based on Compact Modular Architecture platform, as well as vehicles for Lynk & Co, Geely's "connected car" brand that was launched last month.
"We have a strong manufacturing structure in China and we are geared up for further growth on this key market," Volvo CEO Hakan Samuelsson said in a news conference.
The plant, which is owned by Geely but will be operated by Volvo, is now under construction in Luqiao, 350 kilometers (220 miles) south of Shanghai.
Volvo added has a long wheelbase to the S90 sedan and the "super luxury" Excellence edition, which was built for the chauffeured business class who wants a more spacious backseat. The S90 Excellence has a "lounge console" with touchscreen monitor on retractable arms. The car also has a sunroof and comes with Swedish crystal glasses.
Samuelsson said Volvo's plant in Daqing, Heilongjiang Province will start making the S90 in the coming month. He said the two new versions "will be the most luxurious cars ever produced in China."
"The fact that these cars will be exclusively built in China for the global market demonstrates the quality of our Chinese factories," Samuelsson said.
Volvo has already started exporting midsize S60 cars to the U.S. last year, which were manufactured in another Volvo factory in Chengdu in Sichuan Province.
Michael Dunne, president of Hong Kong-based investment advisory firm Dunne Automotive said that "the number of Volvos going to the U.S. is still small. But the important takeaway is that shipping to the U.S. means Volvo China operations have achieved world-class quality."
Dunne added that the decision of Geely Chairman Li Shufu to make Volvo management more independent has paid off, as Volvo's profits tripled last year and vehicle sales surpassed half a million units for the first time.
"Now German luxury makers are taking a closer look at their coming challenger," Dunne said.
Volvo also operates factories in Gothenburg, Sweden and Ghent, Belgium, which continue to manufacture sedans, hatchbacks and sport-utility vehicles in all three model ranges. The company is also building a plant in South Carolina in the U.S. that will produce midsized vehicles.
