> this mistake will not, I repeat, will not happen to Volvo.
Mansey, I remember that Ford made this claim about Jaguar, too. Then look what happened - blended platforms, brand confusion, and of course, a US business model that didn't work. You can understand why many are skeptical about the same claim as it pertains to Volvo. This isn't to say Jaguar (do they say JAG-yew-R in Dearborn?) isn't a better car....it's that Ford/PAG got the brand all f***ed up.

The latest plan published (that I've seen) has Volvo being a luxury car. In terms of roots, this is pretty far-fetched. Outside of ballbearings, Volvos historic appeal has been a practical blend of reliability (supposedly, I had the notorious blower motor problem with my 240, equivalent to today's evaporator problem), safety, design-averse style, and sparing touches of luxury to make it a better value than lower cost Japanese cars and higher cost MB's, BMW's and Audis. In the enclaves that practically worship this car, there is a certain caché born of its style-agnostic visual 'appeal.'

In terms of sales, Swedespeed (citing Volvos own numbers) reports sales as 13.6% lower than 2001. http://www.swedespeed.com/main_news/12_03_02.html

My issue isn't with cost control, engineering prowess, or ultimately even style. It's about that hard-to-define concept referred to as 'brand.' To put it insufficiently, it's where the product value proposition and customer experience meet. Ford does this well in the US, where we understand, accept, and expect 're-packaging' as the definitive set of parameters concerning a product's brand. The repackaged Falcon issued as a Mustang is a perfect case study. (You can carry this too far, just witness GM's automotive atrocities throughout the 70's, 80's and 90's.) We expect this of high production volume marques. Expectations of Eurocars are generally quite different, and this would certainly be the case with both Jaguar and Volvo, which occupy strong niches. When customers are uncertain as to what to expect, then brand is compromised...and perhaps the impregnable niche that went with the brand.

If it were me in charge of Volvo (or even PAG), I'd give the S60 a design revision that would resonate visually with a 'traditional' Volvo's appeal and give it a visual identity of it's own, not a scale model S80. I wouldn't make it boxy, exactly, or take away from the current family-resemblances but I'd give it perhaps more definition and less gumdroppiness in the overall shape, with a complete overhaul of the rear deck with its strange inverse tailfin taillights (works on the S80 but not in reduced scale on the S60). This change, along with Europeans in charge of PAG, would probably send clear and reassuring signals. Later on I'd consider adding a RWD sport model of some kind, a Z60 or something, maybe a roadster, maybe not - but not the half-way measure represented by the C70 ( a nice idea that just didn't go far enough) or even the three-quarter measure S60R. Think Mustang. Kind of like a T5R Mustang thang.

Finally, I'd be just as happy if Ford sold Mazda...which doesn't belong in the premier automotive group, anyway.

Are we passionate about our cars, or what?
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David \\ (98 S70 T5SE Black, misc mods (mostly lighting), red calipers) (92 940GLE)