Volvo Car UK has sustained the sales momentum it enjoyed through 2019 to start the new decade strongly, with 4,107 new car registrations in January – a total boosted by growing customer preference for its recently expanded range of plug-in hybrid models.
The brand’s performance – a 1% rise on the figures for January last year – stands out in a national market which declined overall by 7% year-on-year. Significantly, Volvo also increased its market share by 9%, from 2.53 to 2.75%.
With the recent launch of the XC40 Recharge Plug-in Hybrid, every model in the Volvo range is now available in plug-in hybrid form, and the public has responded enthusiastically to the combination of environmental efficiency and powerful performance the petrol-electric technology offers. Sales of Volvo plug-in hybrids are up by three-quarters compared with January 2019, accounting for 14% of all the brand’s UK sales and putting the company on course to achieve its target of a 25% sales share for its PHEVs this year. This ambition is being supported by a tripling of Volvo’s hybrid production capacity to meet the demand.
The benefits of hybrid – notably substantially lower benefit-in-kind company car tax rates – were also a contributing factor in double-digit growth in Volvo’s fleet and business sales. These rose 10% year on year, to 1,675 units.
Volvo’s multi-award-winning SUVs remain the top choice for customers, with the compact XC40, mid-size XC60 and large XC90 occupying the top three sales positions in January, followed by the V90 large estate. The XC90 enjoys a pre-eminent status as the best-selling model in its class for the month, claiming almost 15% of all large premium SUV sales. Likewise, the V90 dominated the large premium estate segment, accounting for more than a third (35%) of total sales.
The sales picture is also strong for Volvo Selekt, Volvo’s approved-used car programme, which posted a 9% year-on-year increase in January, selling 3,376 cars in what was its 37th consecutive month of growth. The acceleration in sales follows a record-breaking year in 2019, when more than 33,000 approved-used Volvos were sold.
Matt Galvin, Volvo Car UK’s Operations Director, said: “With many issues making customers cautious about buying a new car, Volvo stands out as a brand that people are confident to invest in. The across-the-board appeal of our comprehensively renewed model range and the relevance and performance of our plug-in hybrid technology are key to our growth, supported by the excellent work of everyone in our retail network.â€
*Article Source http://www.media.volvocars.com/uk
