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Geely SA to benefit from Volvo tech

  • Geely serious about Volvo/Geely future
  • Like brothers, not 'father and son'
  • SA cars to benefit from Volvo tech

Local Geely vehicles will soon benefit from Volvo technology.

Geely chairman Li Sufu, said the automaker was serious about its relationship with Volvo as separate brands but sharing research, development and technology.

Li said: "Geely and Volvo are like brothers, not father and son." As for Volvo's future, he commented: "We will make Volvo cars more luxurious and high-end."

He wants relations between Geely and Volvo to be more akin to Volkswagen and Audi.

'VALUE FOR MONEY'

Li emphasised that Geely's vehicles had long outgrown the original "cheap and low-quality" Chinese attributes in favour of "value for money and high quality".

Shared research has already improved the quality of Geely vehicles, says Geely SA's marketing manager Gareth Azzie explained: "We are really looking forward to selling the new models to our local customers."

Li believed that, under Geely, Volvo would strive to become a dominant players in the luxury-car sector: "The Daqing plant in Heilongjiang province is expected to roll out models, among them the XC90, in two months."

NEXT XC90

The Chinese XC90 is not the 2015 Volvo XC90  but the current version and production has been moved from Sweden to China. The next model to be manufactured in Daqing will be the Volvo XC60.

Li wants Volvo to aim at a younger audience and hopes to lure youngsters to the showroom by offering "hip" technology: "Volvo is changing to cater to the post-1990's generation - young customers with high-end technology such as Apple's CarPlay infotainment and self-driving cars."

With the help of Geely, Volvo has set its Chinese sales target at 80 000 units for 2014 -  growth of 30%, which would make the country its largest single market - even surpassing the US. It sold 61 000 cars in 2013, up 45.6% compared to 2012.

In January to April 2014 sales jumped 29% - far above the industry's 10%.
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