Production of the Volvo S80 exceeds expectations

PRODUCTION OF THE VOLVO S80 EXCEEDS EXPECTATIONS Volvo Car Corporation built 32 800 Volvo S80's in 1998, a production figure that exceeded expectations. - Start-up of production of the car has gone very smoothly, and we are now quite ready to face the challenge posed by the expansion of model choice to include five cylinder engines, says Curt Germundsson, production manager at Volvo Car Corporation. Never before, has the Volvo Car Corporation set in motion new car production so rapidly. Production of the Volvo S80 came up to volume after the industrial holidays. - In comparison, when the Volvo 850 was introduced, in June 1991, we had a first year production figure of 7 400 cars, adds Germudsson. With the Volvo S80, we rapidly reached a yearly production rate of 75 000 cars and we are currently at the 80 000 level, in spite of phasing in the additional model variants for 5-cylinder petrol engines and a diesel engine, since the turn of the year. The Volvo S80 is manufactured at the corporation's Torslanda plant. The car is the first built on Volvo Car Corporation's new platform. We have the capacity to produce even more today, says Curt Germundsson. Market developments will dictate whether we make full use of our capacity. In the meantimeI am very pleased that we have rapidly achieved great success with the unique 6-cylinder variant of the Volvo S80, which has allowed us to reach new consumer groups in the car market. Volvo is also coming on strongly in the sedan sector. January 11, 1999 ------------------------------------------------------------ Please visit http://www.bit.se for further information The following files are available for download: http://www.bit.se/bitonline/1999/01/11/19990111BIT00270/bit0001.doc http://www.bit.se/bitonline/1999/01/11/19990111BIT00270/bit0002.pdf