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We North Americans need to remember that we're not the only market:
The 940 continued to be built and sold for the European market, with 4-cyl, Turbo, and 6-cyl diesel powerplants, until 1998. The end of the 960/V90 line for us coincided with the REAL end of the red-block production for the rest of the world.
I have no idea why Volvo dropped the 940 for us with the 1995 model year. My guess is that was part of a major marketing/image-reshaping effort in the works since the 960 was introduced. When the 960 was restyled in the 95 model year, the 940 went away, and the company could concentrate on the 850 as the bread-n-butter car.
I think that people would have still bought 940s, and almost all those sales would have taken away from 850s rather than bringing in buyers from other makes. That simplifying of the production lines may have made the best economic sense at the time. After all, they could get almost 30 grand for an 850 wagon, and justify more than that for the 965/V90, but the 940 couldn't be sold for that much- and then buyers would realize that the cheaper car held more stuff than the much-touted 850 line... and cut into the sales of the new car.
If you look at advertising of the time, Volvo spent a LOT promoting the 850, in print and TV commercials, probably more than they ever spent combined on the other cars.
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Rob Bareiss, New London CT ::: 92 244-M47-208K ::: 90 745GL-M47-271K ::: 88 245DL-AW70-182K ::: 84 242 project ::: 70 VW Bus ::: 70 Bus SInglecab Pickup ::: 71 VW Type III Notchback
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