China and coronavirus drag Volvo Cars’ global sales down 9% in February

Volvo Cars has reported global sales of 39,742 cars in February 2020, down 8.9 percent compared year-ago numbers as volumes were impacted due to continued sales pressure in China as a result of the coronavirus. With many retail outlets closed, total volumes in China were down 81.5 percent to 1,205 cars.

Volvo Cars’ other regions maintained growth momentum for the month, with volume increases of 18.2 percent in the United States and 1.9 percent in Europe in February compared with the same period last year. The company’s top three European markets of Sweden, Germany and the United Kingdom also posted a strong sales performance for the month.

In February, Volvo Cars’ SUVs maintained a steady growth with total SUV volumes reaching 27,518 cars sold, accounting for 69.2 percent of the company’s total sales. In February, the XC40 was the top-selling SUV, followed by the XC60 and the XC90.

Volvo Cars’ Recharge line-up of chargeable Volvo models also saw an 88.4 percent jump in February sales compared with the same period last year.

The US reported a solid sales performance in February with volumes up 18.2 percent compared with the same period last year to 7,841 cars. Volvo’s XC90 SUV was the top-selling model in the region for the month, followed by the XC60.

Sales in Europe reached 23,442 cars, up 1.9 percent compared with the same period last year. Sweden, the company’s largest market in the region, reported a 5.3 percent year-on-year growth in volumes, whiles sales in Germany and UK increased by 20.6 per cent and 10.8 per cent respectively. The XC40 was the highest selling car in Europe for the month, followed by the XC60.

In February, the XC40 was the top selling model with sales of 11,004 cars (2019: 8,176 units), followed by the XC60 at 10,847 cars (2019: 12,630 units) and the XC90 with sales of 5,667 cars (2019: 5,752 units).

A detailed break-up of sales in the regions is given below:

Also read: Coronavirus sees global vehicle sales nosedive, January sales lowest since 2012