吉利能挽救沃尔沃吗

    传统观点认为，最近沃尔沃（Volvo）为复兴这个汽车品牌所付出的努力成功的几率很小。作为中国汽车制造商吉利汽车（Geely）的子公司，沃尔沃450,000辆的年销量根本难以为继。

    但如果沃尔沃在中国成都新建一家工厂，首先抓住中国消费者的爱好，继而打动海外消费者，那么吉利当初收购这家瑞典血统的汽车制造商可能就会被证明是一个杀手锏。吉利希望截至2020年，沃尔沃在中国的年销量达到200,000辆，在美国达到140,000辆，全球达到800,000辆。

    如果吉利在成都的工厂能够取得成功，在中国制造的部分汽车便有可能出口到美国和世界其他市场。预计凭借成本优势，沃尔沃将在价格方面与其他高档车展开激烈竞争。与此同时，在美国出售的沃尔沃汽车仍将继续从欧洲进口。

    没有人知道沃尔沃是否保持了自己的特色，还是会成为市场首创。

    哈坎•萨缪尔森说：“我们将沃尔沃定位为高档汽车品牌，但与德国品牌并不相同。”萨缪尔森原先是一名货车运输高管，最近才开始担任沃尔沃CEO。他表示，沃尔沃采用带有斯堪的纳维亚风格的新颖设计，具有安全性、环保价值和“智能功能”，如易于使用的信息娱乐系统等。

    上周在底特律召开的记者见面会上，萨缪尔森表示，公司物色新广告公司的工作已经接近尾声，两家公司将展开最终的角逐。但他并未透露这两家公司的名字。

    宝马（BMW）和其他德国汽车制造商通常会从动力、奢华、操控性、驾驶乐趣和历史传统等方面宣传自己的品牌。很长时间以来，沃尔沃一直是德国品牌最佳的替代选择，也是细心、理性的消费者们的最爱。

    沃尔沃在最近的一次活动中宣布，未来它将采用三缸和四缸发动机，而且正在与吉利共同研发混合动力车和变速箱。萨缪尔森承认，沃尔沃必须研发和提供所谓辅助和自动驾驶技术，以提高安全性。毕竟，沃尔沃在安全性方面的声誉是它悠久的历史中最显著的特色。

    1999年，作为积累品牌战略的一部分，福特汽车公司（Ford Motor Co.）收购了沃尔沃，当时的首席汽车集团（Premier Automotive Group，现已不复存在）旗下拥有捷豹（Jaguar）、阿斯顿马丁（Aston Martin）、路虎（Land Rover）等众多品牌。2010年，福特将沃尔沃出售给了吉利。当时的吉利汽车急于拥有一个汽车品牌，为公司带来可信度、声誉和客户接受度。

    2004年，福特旗下的沃尔沃销量达到139,000辆的最高纪录，之后就开始缓慢下滑。至今年十月份，沃尔沃的美国销量下跌了7%，也就是说它今年仅卖出了60,000辆汽车。这意味着，这家公司300多家经销商必将遭受打击，丧失信心。实际上，他们想到了另外一家瑞典汽车品牌萨博汽车（Saab）。这个品牌被通用汽车（General Motors）收购之后，经过一番挣扎最终还是走向了衰败。

    事实上，沃尔沃在美国只是一个小众品牌。但这个小众品牌却引发了强烈的反响，甚至有些车主和汽车爱好者对沃尔沃品牌抱着深厚的感情。随着新消费人群的出现，以及吉利等新品牌的崛起，沃尔沃是否也会重蹈萨博、斯柯达（Skoda）、西雅特（Seat）和拉达（Lada）等品牌的覆辙？我们拭目以待。（财富中文网）

    译者: 刘进龙/汪皓

    Conventional wisdom suggests that the latest attempt to revive Volvo as an automotive brand faces very long odds. Under the umbrella of its corporate parent Geely, the Chinese automaker, Volvo's 450,000 annual sales aren't self-sustaining.

    But Geely's ownership of the onetime Swedish automaker could prove to be a valuable wild card if Volvos built at a new plant in Chengdu, China capture the fancy of Chinese buyers first, and then, perhaps, buyers abroad. Geely hopes eventually to sell 200,000 Volvos annually in China, maybe 140,000 in the U.S., and 800,000 a year globally by 2020.

    If Geely's Chengdu plant is successful, some cars built in that country might be exported to the U.S. and elsewhere, presumably at a cost basis that could make them highly competitive in price with other cars in the premium category. In the meantime, Volvos sold in the U.S. continue to be imported from Europe.

    It's unclear if Volvo still has an identity or maybe has become the answer to a question nobody asked.

    "We see Volvo as a premium car, but in a different way than the German brands," said Hakan Samuelsson, a former trucking executive who recently took over as Volvo CEO. Volvo, he said, will connote attractive design with a Scandinavian flavor, safety, environmental values, and "clever functionality," such as easy-to-use infotainment.

    At a meeting with journalists last week in Detroit, Samuelsson said the company has narrowed its search for a new advertising agency to two finalists. He declined to identify them.

    BMW and other German carmakers usually describe their brands in terms of power, luxury, handling, driving pleasure, and heritage. For a long time, Volvo was a classy alternative to the German brands, a favorite of thoughtful, intellectual consumers.

    In its latest initiative, Volvo will confine its engines to three-cylinder and four-cylinder models, plus hybrids and transmissions under development with Geely. Samuelsson acknowledged that Volvo must develop and offer so-called assisted and autonomous driving technologies, which improve safety. A reputation for safety, after all, is Volvo's most memorable calling card from its past.

    Ford Motor Co. (F) bought Volvo in 1999 as part of a strategy to accumulate brands, including Jaguar, Aston Martin, and Land Rover in its now-defunct Premier Automotive Group. Ford in 2010 sold Volvo to Geely, which was determined to own an automotive name that brought with it credibility, prestige, and customer acceptance.

    Since Volvo sales reached a peak of 139,000 in 2004 during the Ford years, it has declined more or less steadily. Through October of this year, U.S. sales were down 7%, which suggests the brand will sell a paltry 60,000 vehicles this year. That number means that some of its 300 dealers, who no doubt are discouraged, will throw in the towel. Indeed, they watched Saab, another Swedish car brand, flounder and then fail under the ownership of General Motors (GM).

    In truth, Volvo was never more than a niche brand in the U.S. But it was a niche brand that elicited strong opinions and even affection from owners and automotive enthusiasts. As new consumers and players like Geely arise, it's unclear if Volvo will meet the fate of the Saabs, Skodas, Seats, and Ladas of the world.