Volvo Cars, the premium carmaker, remains firmly on course for another record year in retail sales after posting a 7.9 per cent increase for the first seven months of 2017 compared to the same period last year.
Total sales for the January to July period amounted to 321,919 cars, compared to 298,272 cars the year before. Volvo sold a record 534,332 cars in 2016 and is confident it will report a new sales record this year.
Global retail sales in July were 44,278 cars, up 6.2 per cent, as the first new XC60 cars started to reach customers. A total of 2,427 new XC60 cars were sold during the month, with orders exceeding 24,500 in the first half of the year.
Continued strong demand for the new 90 series cars remains an important factor in Volvo’s positive sales performance, while the first generation XC60 remains the best-selling model overall.
The Asia Pacific region reported sales growth of 24.5 per cent in the first seven months, to 82,923 cars. Sales were boosted by a continued strong performance in China, Volvo’s largest individual sales market. Sales in the country rose 30.5 per cent to 61,181 cars in the same period, with the locally produced XC60, S60L and S90 most popular among customers.
Sales in the EMEA region increased by 6.2 per cent in the first seven months, to 187,546 cars, as demand for the new V90 and XC90 continued to be strong. Europe’s most popular premium mid-size SUV, the XC60, remained Volvo’s best-seller in the region.
The Americas region reported sales of 49,557 cars for the first seven months of 2017, down 7.0 per cent compared with last year. Delivery constraints affected first quarter sales, but Volvo Cars expects to report full-year growth after a stronger second half of the year.
Retail sales status (deliveries to end customers) for Volvo Car Group is as follows:
