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Customers have waited nearly two years to get the EX90 (shown), and the wait time in Germany for the EX30 is up to four months.
Alex Zurhausen has been with Volvo for more than 20 years and for the majority of that time one thing was sacred.
"When I started at Volvo it was written in stone that if you ordered a car in three months you got your car," Zurhausen, who is head of online business at Volvo Germany, told Automotive News Europe.
Today, a customer often has to wait longer than 90 days.
For instance, because of software issues it will take almost two years for some customers of the EX90 flagship electric large SUV to take delivery. The wait time is up to four months on the new EX30 electric small SUV, according to Volvo Germany’s website.
The EX30 was also delayed for a short at the start of the year.
"It is an achievement that the brand has developed to the point where people are willing to wait that long for a Volvo," Zurhause said. "We're not a Ferrari."
When asked why Volvo has been able to keep customers from switching to rival automakers, Zurhausen said: "We have the right products at the right time."
The executive, whose Volvo sales career has included providing cars to U.S. military installations around the world and looking after large fleet customers such as Microsoft and IBM, said the automaker's business in Germany -- its fourth-largest global sales market -- has never been better.
"While we sold more cars in Germany in 2019 [a record 52,954 compared with roughly 45,500 last year], the financial results in 2023 were the best ever," he said.
Germany was one of 24 Volvo sales companies that set earnings records last year, the company said, declining to provide more detailed financial figures.
Germany was joined on the list by the U.K., Italy, Spain, the U.S. and Canada.
In addition, Volvo last year set company records for global sales (708,716) and revenue ($38 billion).
Both marks are expected to be broken again in 2024, Volvo CEO Jim Rowan said.
Source: Automotive News Europe
