Volvo and Geely go from strength to strength

Published 22nd March, 2015

Both automakers are seeing sales rise

^{Driving sales - EC7 compact sedan Image: Geely}

Geely Automobile Holdings, parent company of Volvo Cars, reported a 55% rise in global deliveries in February to 33,138 vehicles, marking a return to growth abroad.

Volvo posted its 20th consecutive month of growth buoyed by strong demand in Sweden, its core market, and China.

During the first two months of the year Geely, one of China's larger non-state owned automakers, saw worldwide sales increase by 67% year-on-year to 92,022 vehicles. Geely reported it sold just under 7,000 cars outside of China in the same period.

The EC7 compact sedan remained a popular choice, as combined sales of the redesigned version shot up by 105% to 39,379 vehicles in January and February alone. A consolidation of core brands, rather than introduction of multiple offshoots, has proved a winning strategy for the Hangzhou-based carmaker, which had previously suffered from a lack of clear brand identity.

Meanwhile, its Swedish acquisition also saw a healthy return to growth. Volvo reported a modest 0.1% increase in global sales to 29,980 units in February. However, China sales rose by 7.7% to 4,812 cars, while in Sweden sales were up 13.1% to 4,690 cars. The XC60 Crossover was the company's best selling unit by far, boasting sales of nearly 11,000 units.