Just to throw a little more wood on this fire:

I remember seeing Porche tractors in Europe

- and Lamborghini made SUVs way back 20 years ago.

Mercedes is a very competent truckmanufacturer in Europe -

incredbly powerful aircooled engines and terrain ability.

Volvo is so big in trucks, they have been close to trouble with the European legislation on monopoly - and I think a couple of American truck manufacturers are owned by Volvo.

(I wonder how Saab's truck sister Scania is doing in The States - they compete hard with Volvo in Europe)

Back to Cars:

The European market had also a very important factor - Weather.

The North European countries uses very heavy loads of salt on the roads -

(Denmark has a change between frost and thaw over 100 times a year) and the Volvo's had the highest average life time in the 1970's - 21 years - Other cars were down to half that time. Add that cars are heavy taxed - and the Volvo gets very popular (their cars were called the fastest tractors on earth - climbing snow, rugged, high clearance)

Things have changed now - my 93' 850 is very low - (but no rust at all) and cars has to be big in the States (you can't park a big car in Europe) - American Car Manufacturers intelligent answer to competition is "Bigger".

Many "import" cars in the States does not exist outside USA (Mercedes SUV, Toyota Avalon etc) - and the winner may be the model that sells globally.

In Europe Korean manufacturers (like Daewoo, Kia) (also East European - like Lada, Zastava, Yugo) were known for buying old carplants and shining the old models up with plastic panels and new lights - but you basically buy a 10-15 year technically outdated car/SUV that was discontinued because of its inablity to compete. (How old is the standard American car/SUV engineering actually?)

But there will always be buyers for the cheapest new car -

because we can not all know all about everything.

The Car war today is on Consumer Identity - what kind of person buys what kind of vehicle - and we'll make him that vehicle.

Volvo has changed identity several times the last 20 years...

Basically here in USA I need a car that drives on its own - keeps distance to others cars, is comfortable and silent, soft ride, and built like a tank, so the big SUV owners thinks twice before they cut me off.

Many American vehicles actually delivers that.

Some of the old Volvo TPV's and Valpen could need a renaissance now, see:

http://w1.882.telia.com/~u88202886/k100e/bilar/carmakes/k1cpvova.htm

The unofficial - but interesting - Volvo story is on

http://w1.882.telia.com/~u88202886/k100e/bilar/carmakes/k1cavolv.htm