Volvo For Sale. I’ll Roll With That.

Detroit’s influence on Goteborg has produced mixed results, to be kind.

Good: the Ford-initiated XC90 is not only comfortable, safe, and moderately stylish, it has been a real sales booster for Volvo. The SUV would not have been possible without the Blue Oval’s financial backing. And Ford has re-imaged the marque to appeal to families – i.e. the penultimate soccer mom transport.

Bad: the whole family image thing gets boring even to those who buy with school runs in mind.

The V50’s a flop.

Volvo’s reputation for safety is proving to be as much marketing as substance. IIHS gave the S40 sports sedan a merely “acceptable” rating in a side-impact crash test. This means that the driver dummy would have suffered internal injuries and broken ribs if broadsided by an SUV traveling 40 mph. Same results for the larger S60.

By comparison, the Audi A6 was rated “good” in the same test; drivers and passengers would walk away without serious injury.

Good: the new Volvo C70 hard-top convertible is even better than the last convertible – safer (top pick from IIHS) and more refined. The car looks especially sharp in red.

Bad: few but the party faithful will buy a $40K+ convertible from the soccer-mom car company.

Good: Ford has invested faithfully in its Swedish subsidiary and received a profitable carmaker in return.

Bad: The fiscal magic is loosing its shine with weaker M.Y. ’07 sales in the U.S.

In sum, it’s been fun (sort of) but Volvo’s ready to roll on down the road.

Sources: [IIHS, Consumer Reports, Financial Times, Morgan & Co.]