Volvo MD Kristian Elvefors: 'Protect used cars and build the value chain'

That means initiatives such as flexible subscriptions, strengthening relationships with corporate customers, offering maximum convenience in aftersales and embracing electric vehicle (EV) sales.

Volvo Sweden managing director Kristian Elvefors swapped roles with UK managing director Jon Wakefield in June this year and his early assessment of the UK business is that there are challenges to overcome, but the network is generally in a good place.

The network’s average return-on-sales figure is currently about 1.5% and rising, said Elvefors. Dealer morale is pretty good – Volvo rose from 18th to 11th in the latest NFDA Dealer Attitude Survey. About half of the UK’s Volvo dealerships will have the Volvo Retail Experience (VRE) showroom style in place by the end of this year. And new Volvo registrations in 2019 were 14% up year-on-year by the end of October (to 48,069), inching the brand towards its goal of achieving 60,000 annual sales in 2020.