On February 11, Volvo Cars announced its 2021 revenue and profit. In the face of continued shortages of spare parts for the automotive industry, revenue increased by 7% from SEK 262.8 billion in the previous year to SEK 282 billion in 2021. Operating profit increased by 138% year-on-year from SEK 8.5 billion to SEK 20.3 billion, with an operating margin of 7.2%. Net profit increased by 82% year-on-year from SEK 7.8 billion to SEK 14.2 billion.
In 2021, Volvo Cars sold approximately 698,700 units worldwide, up 5.6% year-on-year. According to its published figures, Volvo's electrification series products continue to be sought after by customers, and its RECHARGE series models sold about 189,200 units worldwide, an increase of 63.9% year-on-year, accounting for 27% of the total global brand sales for the whole year. Pure electric vehicles accounted for 6% of total sales.
As Volvo Cars increases its annual production capacity of pure electric products to 150,000 units after the summer, the share of pure electric products in total sales will continue to grow, but the shortage of parts will continue, and this figure will probably not exceed 12%.
On February 14, as a joint venture brand between Geely and Volvo, Polestar, which has a weak sense of existence, made a big move and released a 30-second advertisement at the Super Bowl in the United States. In the ad titled "Uncompromising," tesla and Volkswagen, two giants of electric and fuel vehicles, are directly satirized.
A photo of Polestar 2 appears with "No" written on it, followed by "dieselgate" and "conquering Mars" — referring to Volkswagen's emissions scandal and Elon Musk's obsession with SpaceX, respectively; and "empty promises" and "greenwashing."
Subsequently, Polestar CEO Thomas Inglatt issued a statement saying, "We are a young but ambitious brand, and we believe in 'no compromise', which is implemented in our design language, sustainability programs and car performance." We also hope to share this philosophy through this ad. This is a great channel to further increase brand recognition in the U.S. and elsewhere. ”
Super Bowl (Super Bowl) is the annual championship game of the NFL Professional Football League, which has been the highest-rated TELEVISION program in the United States for many years, and has gradually become an unofficial national festival in the United States, which can be called the American version of the Spring Festival Gala, in addition to the competition part, which is interspersed with theatrical performances, advertisements, etc. are hot topics.