Ford taking risky step by moving Volvo upscale

i like volvo but i dont know if people really cross shop volvo and bmw-mercedes-lexus.

maybe volvo-infiniti-acura-cadillac. they need to add muscle to their engines and maybe make their designs more bold like cadillac.
even their new c70 convertible, very nice inside and out, but nothing amazing..... also VERY under powered.

Volvo doesnt have cars that compete directly with Infiniti/Cadallic.

I hate Volvo's transversely mounted engines -- not the engine itself but the fact that it runs East-West instead of North-South. I also hate their marketing practices that include charging extra for paint. Volvo cannot move upscale without serious loss of sales.

They have to do more than just jack up the price. The S40 shares components with the Mazda3, a FF platform. The entry level lux game is rear drive sport sedans, exuding luxury and class, not luxury and quirk (although there's nothing wrong with that, why cant they stay true to their niche?)

I don't even think the S40 is all that luxurious. To me the interior looks like a slab of gray-ness with a strip of metal going through it.

Its just that Volvo has relied on Safety for years, and now that Safety is not an issue for any other manufacturers, they need a new marketing "tool".

I think that Volvo has things confused. They need to make their cars more powerfful/appealing. I know that myself, or anyone looking to purchase a vehicle have never mentioned the name Volvo while shopping for cars.

kaisersozedude, you hit the nail right on the head. I can't think of anyone who would buy it even today at a bargain price. Maybe Cerberus?

I'm 19 and I completely agree with this post. Last summer I was in the market to replace my 1995 850 wagon and during the preliminary search, my dad said if you get an Audi or BMW it's more prone to damage than a Volvo. I don't think that Volvo isn't regarded as a high end luxury car because my s60 gets a ton of compliments, but the compan is so much more isolated to its demographic than other high end makers. When have you ever seen a professional athlete put 24s on an s80...it's just unheard of. So I think that since there isn't market penetration from Volvo into a different aspect of society, the name still applies to New England soccer moms.