On December 22, Volvo opened its second brand experience center in Shanghai, located at iapm in Xuhui district. Compared to the first center, the new center includes a product experience hall with vehicle displays, Bowers & Wilkins sound experience, and configuration selection experience.
The design of the center follows a Nordic style, with the addition of aluminum alloy panels creating a futuristic atmosphere in line with Volvo’s electrification strategy. Additionally, the grand opening of the city showroom for Volvo’s pure electric SUV, the C40 RECHARGE, took place at this experience center.
The original intention of Volvo’s brand experience center is to convey the brand culture of “people-oriented”. Volvo hopes that the Nordic lifestyle and cultural pursuit it represents can not only provide users with product and service experiences but also closely integrate with their daily lives.
The C40 RECHARGE is the second pure electric vehicle model under the Volvo brand and the first model to only offer pure electric power. It is not a “coupe version” of the XC40, but a completely new independent product line.
Volvo hopes to declare the brand’s electrification era through the C40 RECHARGE. In terms of appearance, the C40 is Volvo’s first sleek SUV with a family-style Thor’s hammer headlight. In terms of interior design, it is made of sustainably sourced materials, which Volvo claims are scratch-resistant, low-volatile, and low-odor compared to traditional leather materials.
In the era of electric cars, consumers’ demand for car-buying experiences is changing. Volvo hopes to adapt to new buying habits and experiences in a fast-changing industry environment. Volvo will explore new models that differ from traditional 4S shops, such as brand experience centers, city center stores, and pop-up stores in the electrification era.At present, Volvo’s sales performance is generally good. The sales of Volvo RECHARGE models accounted for 26% of global sales in the third quarter, reaching a historical high. Among them, plug-in hybrid models accounted for 22% of total sales in the third quarter, while pure electric vehicles accounted for 4%. Volvo’s operating profit in the third quarter reached SEK 16.6 billion (RMB 11.6 billion), with a profit margin of 8.2%. In 2017, Volvo officially announced a comprehensive electrification strategy and hopes to achieve full electrification by 2025, with the proportion of pure electric vehicle models expected to reach 50%, and the rest being hybrid models.
🔗Source: [Volvo Official]
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