The word "Volvo" comes from Latin and means "rolling forward." Since its inception in 1927, this luxury car brand from Northern Europe has gone through 95 years.
When it comes to Volvo, the first word that pops up in many people's minds is "safety." In 1959, Volvo engineer Nils Boleyn invented the three-point seat belt, one of the most life-saving inventions in human history. In the decades that followed, the image of "the safest car in the world" was deeply rooted in people's hearts.
In the past 10 years, Volvo's sales around the world have doubled, and sales in China have increased fivefold, becoming Volvo's largest single market in the world.
Volvo's models produced in China have been exported to more than 80 countries and regions, including developed markets in Europe and the United States, becoming the first luxury car brand in China to export its products to mature markets in Europe and the United States.
Aside from that, what's not to know about the Volvo brand?
You don't know volvo
"Miracle of Life Club"
In the history of the automotive industry, every century-old car brand has accumulated a large number of its own fans and audiences, either because of luxury, or because of sports, or because of elegance, but Volvo's die-hards may be the most loyal, because Ofvo's reverence and respect for life.
Volvo owners have an organization called the Volvo Saved My Life Club, which is made up of users who survived a crash. It was founded as early as the New York Auto Show in 1900 and has more than 1,500 members to date. At the Guangzhou Auto Show in November 2012, Volvo also established China's "Miracle of Life Club".
Volvo Miracles of Life Club
This story about the miracle of life begins in the 70s of the last century. Bob Austen of Volvo North America received a letter from a mother who said that her son had survived a very serious car accident because he was riding a Volvo car, and she was so grateful to Volvo Cars! The letter left a very deep impression on Bob. In his later work, he always received such letters.
Twenty years later, Bob, who had been promoted to director of public relations, overheard from colleagues that Volvo would still receive such thank-you notes. So he set out to set up the Volvo Miracles of Life Club and set up a team to find out if a survivor's accident was indeed life-threatening, and if the accident was confirmed, the survivor would be officially invited to become a member of the Miracle of Life Club.
Organizations like the Miracle of Life Club have a high degree of cohesion among Volvo's many fans. In addition to the DNA of "safety", we are curious about what qualities it has attracted so many Chinese car owners to pay for.
With these questions in mind, we seem to have found the answer in the process of communicating and discussing with Liu Ruoqing, senior director of the operation department of Volvo Cars Greater China Sales Company.
Liu Ruoqing, Senior Director of Operations, Greater China Sales Company, Volvo Cars
What kind of people are driving Volvo?
In addition to the three divisions and three highs, there is a special attribute
People who are slightly familiar with Volvo should have heard of "three highs" and "three divisions". The former represents high education, high income, and high position, while the latter means teachers, lawyers, and physicians. Two words vividly portray the social status and occupational category of the typical Volvo owner.
In the era of electrification, Volvo is the "fiercest" one among luxury brands. Has the people who drive volvo changed?
The new Volvo Pure Electric C40
"There has been no change in our user population, and the three high schools and three divisions are still a typical portrait of Volvo car owners." Liu Ruoqing said frankly. In his view, no matter what mode of travel is used, the user's demand for safety, environmental protection and health has not changed, but the way to meet these demands has changed.
"Just like listening to music with CD players, Walkmans, and now using Apple mobile phones, in fact, our demands on music are unchanged, but the way they are realized changes."
In my impression, it seems that no luxury car brand user group has ever been portrayed so accurately. And the next sentence of Liu Ruoqing deepened this understanding.
"In addition to the three high and three divisions, we users generally have a characteristic, that is, a high sense of social responsibility. This is also a perfect match for our corporate identity. "For example, they are keen on environmental protection, have a high degree of enthusiasm for public welfare, and often do not seek any material returns, and have a high degree of spiritual resonance."
There's a saying that "which car you choose means which kind of person you are," which I think is apt description of Volvo owners.
Why buy Volvo?
The safety you need comes not only from the vehicle itself
In the eyes of people who don't know Volvo, buy a Volvo car because the car is strong enough and the safety factor is good. But in fact, the safety that the car can bring you is not limited to the vehicle itself, but also the sense of security brought by the brand and service.
At last year's Chengdu Auto Show, Chen Lin, a owner of three Volvos, shared a story: On the sixth day of the 2020 summer vacation trip, Chen Lin's car broke down in no man's land in Qinghai. When the insurance company could not move the trailer and the local auto repair plant could not solve the problem, Volvo's official emergency roadside assistance gave him the last hope.
Less than 10 minutes after the roadside call, Volvo headquarters called to say that he had transferred a trailer from Golmud City. He asked him what he needed to pay, and the answer was no, and subsequent flights and hotels were reimbursed. What moved him even more was that after his V90 was transported from Golmud to the Volvo 4S shop in Xining more than 900 kilometers away for maintenance, Volvo officials sent a trailer from Chengdu to travel 2400 kilometers to haul his V90 back for free.
"The service we provide to him is not only more than he thought he could help him, but also beyond the commitment of ordinary car companies to users."
Liu Ruoqing said that when the owner is in danger and needs to lend a helping hand, Volvo will do its best to mobilize resources and find ways to help. "We must have done more and better than we said."
He confessed that there are always some unpredictable situations, what to do when the owner's life is threatened and there is danger? This is a great test for an organization and an enterprise.
"Volvo has a quick hand-raising mechanism inside, and once it is judged that the owner is in a high-risk situation, we will raise our hand, report upwards, and make quick decisions." When users need it, when they encounter danger, Volvo will definitely stand up.
Behind the high repurchase rate is a sense of identity
In the communication, Liu Ruoqing also specifically mentioned a word, the repurchase rate. "If you go to universities, top three hospitals, including law firms, the proportion of Volvo cars is very high."
Usually, car owners tend to choose a new brand when buying a second car, but many Volvo owners show an almost "stubborn" loyalty.
In Liu Ruoqing's view, the connection between the owner and Volvo is not only a physical connection, but also a spiritual connection.
He said that a large part of Volvo's user base pays attention to personal independent space and likes to drive by car, so Volvo has set up a "crock pot alliance", mainly for V series owners.
This year, Volvo also established a "three-division club" for teachers, lawyers and physicians. Although it was established not long ago, the user's enthusiasm for participation is very high, in the words of Liu Ruoqing, it is "water to water".
Volvo Crock Pot Alliance
"We found that many car owners have this appeal, so they set up this platform", Liu Ruoqing said, these people are not necessarily in a city, but their spiritual level is resonant, not only offline participation in activities can resonate.
Perhaps, this is why so many car owners are willing to stand for Volvo. In addition to the recognition of Volvo's products, there is also a sense of mutual affection and a sense of identity that transcends the responsibility of ordinary car companies to car owners.
A car owner who has bought three Volvos said that he chose Volvo for a simple reason, mainly in the fit of ideas, that is, Volvo has always advocated people-oriented. Minimalist design, extreme environmental protection, extreme safety, compared to the exaggerated interior and appearance, is more connotation of luxury.
Perhaps, this is also the reason why users buy Volvo, after the real experience, the second and third cars still have to buy Volvo cars.