Ford's Volvo Legacy - What is it?

[1997volvo850]

I've been wondering for a while about what Ford's impact has been on the Volvo brand over
the last ten years so I thought I would ask the experts a few questions.

Ford purchased Volvo in 1999 for $6.45 Billion dollars. In 2010 Ford sold Volvo to Geely for $1.8 Billion dollars.

Can this decline be contributed to market conditions and Volvo's own problems prior to Ford acquiring them?

Would most of you experts claim 1) The Volvos made under Ford stewardship are much better than the junk
Volvo produced on its own. 2) Ford did not interfere with Volvo and let it do its own thing thus the slip is due
to Volvo engineering. or 3) Ford plain out ruined Volvo.

I've commented that many of the Volvo sedans I see (if I get close enough to read the Volvo logo and make an
ID) appear similar to a Ford Focus.

I drive a Volvo 850 GLT. When my wife purchased it I told her Volvo had ruined their cars by ditching the boxy
design. Now I'm confusing the new cars with the other similar compact cars on the road.

For the experts, are there Volvo lines that you feel are great cars? Are there lines you think are junk and should
be avoided?

Is there a line of Volvos that would make a 1997 850 GLT driver like myself satisfied? I'm sticking with my 850s
but I may have to think about upgrading in the next 10-20 years when gasoline engines become illegal.

Let's hear it from the loyal Volvo experts!

[C@lvin]

I think Ford's most notable legacy will end up behing that they sold Volvo to Greely.

As far as Volvo models.......I would consider any that continue to run the 5 cyl engine. I personally like the P2 bodies on the S60 but not as much on the S40 or S80 but I can see the styling progression all the way back to the 240.

All brands, Volvo included, are now highly electronic and much more suscebtible to electronic issues - the price for all the modern convenience and safety.

[zhenya]

I think that the Ford/Volvo legacy will be seen in retrospect as part of the failed late 20th/early 21st century attempt by automakers to consolidate into a few major players. Ford purchased Volvo during the heady days of the late '90's when gas was as good as free in the United States, SUV's were the rage and the automakers were getting rich off of them. The American car manufacturers went on a buying binge, snapping up most of the remaining small, independent, and quirky brands. Volvo, Saab, Land Rover, Aston Martin, etc. etc. Virtually every one of those ventures ended as badly, or worse, than the Ford/Volvo venture.

I agree with you that Volvo largely lost their way when they left the 850/early V70 box design and attempted to go mainstream like everyone else. Once the cars looked and felt much like anything else on the road, their loyal customers had little incentive to stay with them. It is becoming one of my beliefs that niche players like Volvo and Saab can be successful only if they understand their core competencies and keep true to those values. If they do this well, customers will typically remain loyal to them; even to the point of over-looking their (often many) weaknesses. When they lose those values and try to become mainstream (as often happens when a larger company takes over and management cannot truly understand the smaller business they have acquired), the loyal base is no longer willing to give them the benefit of the doubt and to the average consumer, they aren’t even worth a look because they don’t have the reliability reputation of a Toyota or Honda, nor the cachet of a BMW or Mercedes. In Saab's case, the irony was that under GM's ownership, they were building what were, in many ways, superior cars to what they had been able to build on their own, but their old customers didn’t care; they had ceased to be the ‘real’ Saab.

Volvo certainly suffered from the fact that they were acquired during a period of relatively poor quality control at Ford, and that didn't do them any favors. During much of this period they were also plagued by Ford's antipathy towards anything that wasn't a truck or SUV, and, like the other two of the Big Three, they nearly went under as a result when gas prices soared and the economy plunged. They had ignored their car divisions for so long that they no longer knew how to build good cars. Ford was fortunate to escape without government loans only because of a stroke of luck that had allowed them to shore up private financing immediately prior to the bank crisis of the Fall of 2008. If they had waited a month longer, that financing would not have been available, and they would have been in the same boat as GM. In any case, those close calls required raising every cent of real cash that could be mustered just to stay solvent, and those brands that had been acquired in the ‘90’s had to be let go at whatever price they could get for them. It’s too bad for us Volvo fans, as Ford has recently turned a corner, and is making their best vehicles ever; it’s too bad Volvo won’t have an opportunity to be a part of it.

[wheelsup]

Ford benefited greatly from the Volvo acquisition, IIRC the Focus and Fusion is based upon the 40/60 platforms. A lot of safety technology surely found it's way into Ford's new cars as well.

IIRC Volvo was losing money in the 90's as well, and really hasn't been that successful of a manufacturer. Their market was extremely small as far as potential buyers goes even in their heyday. Also America is undergoing a "frugal" stage and for those who can afford it spending $30k-$50K on a new Volvo when one can buy lux cars (Mercedes, BMW, Acura, etc.) in the same price but with higher curb appeal just doesn't make sense.

I think Volvo is doing good by designing stylish cars such as the S60/S80 line (which IMO are great looking) however there was just too much competition in their market. They needed to step away from the "box" style. Also, their niche was "SAFETY" and other manufacturers matched and in some cases surpassed their reputation.

If they could bring a clean diesel wagon w/ 50 mpg to market that promised longevity I would consider buying one, although buying new is out of the question. Their older 850's remain a great value, especially for people like me who drive <2000 miles per year. Plus VW has been coming of age and already has the TDI market cornered, and has been selling those cars for a long long time. Their AWD has been outmatched by Subaru who has been in the AWD market for decades.

Basically, it's a dying brand. Sorry to see. I'll hold on to my 850 for as long as I can.

[1997volvo850]

I think Ford's most notable legacy will end up behing that they sold Volvo to Greely.

As far as Volvo models.......I would consider any that continue to run the 5 cyl engine. I personally like the P2 bodies on the S60 but not as much on the S40 or S80 but I can see the styling progression all the way back to the 240.

All brands, Volvo included, are now highly electronic and much more suscebtible to electronic issues - the price for all the modern convenience and safety.

Even with my Volvo 850 I often run into the service tech line that you need to take this to the dealer because they
have the diagnostic computers that can deal with the proprietary protocols used in these cars. Makes service much
more expensive when there's no competition.

Are the newer cars more dependent on receiving service from Volvo dealers? Or are the diagnostic standards in the new
cars available to non-Volvo service techs?

In terms of the 5 cyl engine...I take it Ford went away from Volvo engines on some lines...is this easy to break down in
terms of Volvo lines? Which lines still use the 5 cyl?

[Joe Hurless]

I've got a special place in my heart for the 99 v70. These things were made to run forever. Easy to fix, easy to diagnose.

The v70 in general is a great choice all around. Its composition has changed very little throughout the years, which means there are many great Volvo mechanics out there that can fix them.