So Volvo, the Swedish manufacturer has a Chinese owner. Is it good or bad, we don’t know yet, but we should not be afraid. What we feared was that Volvo would be reduced to a badge for some cheap Chinese cars, this is not going to happen. We shall get quite the opposite, as Li Shufu, the CEO of Geely who is now also the CEO of Volvo, has explained that his goal is that Volvo shall compete with the best models from the top German brands. Think the S-class from Mercedes, or the BMW 7-series.

Volvo’s current best model, the S80 (pictures) is a far cry from a S-class, and it would take a huge investment to make anything close to an S-class, with the corresponding V8 or V12 engine. We shall also point out that the current lucky few who enjoy the best of Mercedes or BMW have never considered a Volvo before. It would take a large marketing budget, and several years, before Volvo could succeed in that field, if ever…

So… How about making electric cars? M. Li Shufu is very much aware that the biggest profits comes from the most beautiful cars, but for Volvo, electric cars might have a better, and quicker, return on investment than a super high-end model.