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Volvo Diplomat Sales – unique benefits

If you're a diplomat or have tax-free status within an international organisation, a special scheme from Volvo means that you can buy a premium car at very favourable prices - and gain many benefits besides.

Published: 21 January 2013 11:19 CET
Volvo Diplomat Sales – unique benefits

Finding somewhere to live and buying a car are often the top two priorities for diplomatic and embassy staff when they begin their posting. As a maker of luxury cars, Volvo realised the potential of this high-end niche market nearly 60 years ago, and the long running Diplomat Sales scheme was launched.

Get great deals – then ship the car back home

According to sales director Stephan Green, it’s not just the cars themselves that attract thousands of customers each year.

”We offer a highly specialised sales channel, serving a real VIP group with exclusive benefits and services. What our customers like and appreciate is the exclusivity we offer.

“A popular service is the opportunity to ship the car home after the posting is over. We have authorised Diplomat Sales representatives located in most major cities where diplomats are present, such as Brussels, Geneva, Berlin, London, Paris etc.”

Not just for diplomats

Despite the name, the scheme is open to more than just diplomats – all tax-free personnel at embassies, consulates, EU, UN and other international organisations are eligible.

The entire range of Volvo cars is available on the scheme, however the most popular models among diplomat staff last year were the top-selling 60 range – XC60, S60 and V60 – together with a rising demand for the recently launched Volvo V40 and its more rugged sibling the Volvo V40 Cross Country.

VIP factory delivery in Sweden

Even the process of buying and collecting your new diplomat car can be an experience out of the ordinary. Volvo gives you the opportunity to personally collect your tailor-made vehicle from the factory in Gothenburg, and while there you can enjoy a guided tour of the museum, and even sample Swedish meatballs – all part of the service aimed at offering added extras.

”Our customers like to feel they are being well looked after, that they are getting special service. They enjoy the feeling of knowing they are in good hands,” adds Green.

Learn more at www.diplomat.volvocars.com

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Sweden’s Volvo regains strength after pandemic puts brakes on earnings

Swedish truck maker Volvo Group was hit by a sharp drop in earnings due to the coronavirus pandemic, but business rebounded at the end of the year.

Published: 3 February 2021 12:21 CET
Sweden's Volvo regains strength after pandemic puts brakes on earnings
Volvo Group CEO Martin Lundstedt. Photo: Adam Ihse/TT

In 2020, the group saw “dramatic fluctuations in demand” due to the Covid-19 pandemic, chief executive Martin Lundstedt said in a statement.

For 2021, Volvo raised its sales forecasts in its trucks division – its core business – in Europe, North America and Brazil.

However, it said it also expected “production disturbances and increased costs” due to a “strained” supply chain, noting a global shortage of semiconductors across industries.

The truck making sector is particularly sensitive to the global economic situation and is usually hard hit during crises.

In March, as the pandemic took hold around the world, Volvo suspended operations at most of its sites in 18 countries and halted production at Renault Trucks, which it owns, in Belgium and France.

Operations gradually resumed mid-year, but not enough to compensate for the drop in earnings.

With annual sales down 22 percent to 338 billion kronor (33.4 billion euros, $40 billion), the group posted a 46 percent plunge in net profit to 19.3 billion kronor (1.9 billion euros).

Operating margin fell from 11.5 to 8.1 percent.

However, the group did manage to cut costs by 20 percent.

“We have significantly improved our volume and cost flexibility, which were crucial factors behind our earnings resilience in 2020,” the group said.

Volvo's business regained strength in the second half of the year.

“Customer usage of trucks and machines increased when the Covid-19 restrictions were eased during the summer and this development continued during both the third and fourth quarters,” it said.

“Both the transport activity and the construction business are back at levels on par with the prior year in most markets.”

For the fourth quarter alone, the company reported a 38-percent rise in net profit from a year earlier.

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