Volvo focuses on simplicity to woo buyers from German rivals

Volvo has vowed to focus on simplicity as it works to revitalize the brand and distinguish its vehicles from segment rivals.
“No one wants buttons hidden down in the dark areas around the seats,” Volvo CEO Hakan Samuelsson said at an Automotive News Europe event this week.

The new XC90 boasts just eight buttons to control core functions, while a few new models from Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz allegedly pack at least three dozen buttons, according to the executive. One vehicle from the German trio is said to bring the button total up to 55.

Rather than mimicking the Germans, Volvo is preparing to double-down on its bet against complexity. The company appears to be confident that more than a few German-car owners may have grown frustrated or intimidated by complex control layouts.

Nearing the end of its fifth year under the wing of new parent Geely, Volvo is in the beginning stages of a significant transformation strategy. Samuelsson suggests the automaker is on track to replace its entire lineup by 2018, at which point the forthcoming XC90 will be the senior member in the family.

The XC90 introduces Volvo’s new Scalable Product Architecture platform and future design language. The crossover’s sedan counterpart, known as the S90, is expected to be the next stablemate to arrive in showrooms.

In the near term, the Swedish automaker expects global sales to jump by seven percent to a half million units for 2015. If everything goes as planned, shipments will continue growing to 800,000 units by the end of the decade.

Image by Drew Johnson.