Volvo accelerates NZ focus with new showroom

Volvo accelerates NZ focus with new showroom
New premises build on record year for Swedish brand

A new era of Volvo kicked off in Auckland last Friday (13 March) with the opening of the new Volvo Showroom in Greenlane.

Record revenue in 2014 saw sales of new Volvo vehicles in New Zealand increase by 80 per cent and Volvo New Zealand general manager Steve Kenchington says the opening of the new showroom supports the new brand vision and focus for the company.

“As New Zealand demand and interest in the Volvo brand has grown so too has the need for standalone premises to better enable us to build on our recent achievements.

“The new showroom not only puts us in good stead for the year ahead, it also provides a great brand experience and a perfect backdrop for the plethora of new vehicles we have coming through during the next three years – including the highly-anticipated Volvo XC90,” says Kenchington.

The building was officially opened by Volvo senior vice president, Alain Visser who flew in from Sweden for the event. Visser was named by Forbes as one of the world’s Top 10 CMOs in 2014.

Visser’s brand vision helped lead Volvo to a record year in 2014 and he has ambitious goals as he aims to re-establish Volvo as serious contender in the luxury car market while continuing to lead the automotive industry in safety.

The Scandinavian design and craftsmanship that goes in to Volvo vehicles is reflected in the design of Archibald & Shorter’s new Auckland Showroom. The 841m² space was designed by Erik Stigmar in close collaboration with Volvo Cars, Wingårdh Architects and Senab in Sweden. The aim has been to create a setting where the cars can be viewed in a more urban environment – where visitors are able to read their emails, browse the internet or enjoy a cup of coffee.

The cool exterior look is complemented by a warm interior resulting from light coming in through the shop windows. Inside the showroom there are two main features. ‘The Street’ is where the cars are displayed and the ‘Living Room’ is a haven for customers to enjoy a traditional Scandinavian welcome. In the evening, thanks to the back-lit illumination of the building façade, the cool exterior transforms in to a welcoming glow to draw interest in the brand.

Unique Swedish Heritage
The new showroom not only houses Volvo’s entire range including the XC60, S/V60 V40 and XC90 models, it also showcases several uniquely Volvo brand touch points – all selected by Alain Visser to provide visitors to the showroom with a brand experience that is centred on Swedish heritage.

The touch points include but are not limited to:
• Crystal water pitchers and glassware designed by Orrefors. Each item of glassware is a unique and sophisticated piece of craftsmanship. The collaboration with Volvo has also extended to the new XC90 with Orrefors designing the stunning crystal gear lever in the vehicle.
• Bespoke Volvo sounds and purified air. Anyone who steps in to the Volvo showroom hears the sounds of three different natural Swedish environments: a hardwood forest, a softwood forest and the sea. Air purifiers have also been installed to ensure clean air.
• Swedish Fika. A tradition in Sweden is the ‘Fika’, otherwise known as a coffee break. Guests at the new Greenlane showroom are offered coffee and a cinnamon bun prepared by a local artisan baker to Volvo’s recipe.

Steve Kenchington says he is looking forward to showcasing the brand in a new way.

“Our research shows that once you get behind the wheel of a Volvo you want to own one. Our expectation is our new showroom will encourage more people to visit, take a look at what Volvo is about and take one for a spin.

“Our overall goal is to get more Volvos on New Zealand roads and this new showroom is another step in our journey to making this a reality,” says Kenchington.

‘Year of the Volvo XC90’
Come July, the piece de la resistance in the new showroom will be the highly-anticipated new hybrid SUV – the Volvo XC90.

This flagship vehicle marks the official rebirth of the Volvo brand – the design, technology and safety features are at the forefront of luxury car design and have been met by rave reviews internationally.

Key features include a sleek new exterior design, a minimalist yet highly functional dashboard design, world-leading safety features as standard, a twin-charged inline 4 cylinder engine, seven seats and more. For more details see the Volvo website.

Globally pre-orders have surpassed all expectations indicating consumer appetite for environmentally friendly SUVs is on the rise.

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About Volvo Car Group
Volvo has been in operation since 1927. Today, Volvo Cars is one of the most well-known and respected car brands in the world with sales of 465,866 in 2014 in about 100 countries. Volvo Cars has been under the ownership of the Zhejiang Geely Holding (Geely Holding) of China since 2010. It formed part of the Swedish Volvo Group until 1999, when the company was bought by Ford Motor Company of the US. In 2010, Volvo Cars was acquired by Geely Holding. As of December 2014, Volvo Cars had over 25,000 employees worldwide. Volvo Cars head office, product development, marketing and administration functions are mainly located in Gothenburg, Sweden. Volvo Cars head office for China is located in Shanghai. The company’s main car production plants are located in Gothenburg (Sweden), Ghent (Belgium) and Chengdu (China), while engines are manufactured in Skövde (Sweden) and Zhangjiakou (China) and body components in Olofström (Sweden).

Issued for Volvo New Zealand by Pead PR

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