Now Volvo Wants to Be Volkswagen Owners' New Best Friend

by Steph Willems

Published: October 29th, 2016

now volvo wants to be volkswagen owners new best friend

First it was Hyundai flinging special discounts in the direction of imminently carless Volkswagen diesel owners. Now Volvo has added its name to the list of automakers attempting to woo this unique crop of vehicular nomads.

The approval of Volkswagen’s massive settlement deal with U.S. owners and environmental regulators on Tuesday is apparently a sales opportunity not to be missed, but Volvo is approaching it from a different direction than Hyundai.

According to online retailer CarsDirect, while Hyundai promises slashed price tags, Volvo will offer would-be buyers extra piece of mind.

From now until January 2, Volvo is offering owners of bought-back Volkswagen TDI models five years of complimentary “Safe & Secure Coverage” — a perk applied to any 2016 or 2017 Volvo model. Like the Hyundai deal, you’ll need to show proof of 2.0-liter diesel ownership.

So, what is Volvo really offering? The boosted warranty, which CarDirect estimates to be worth $1,700, brings five years or 50,000 miles of free scheduled maintenance, free roadside assistance, and no-cost replacement of brake components and wiper blades. For a premium vehicle, this isn’t exactly a screaming deal — especially when compared with the savings Hyundai has on the table.

However, Volvo and Hyundai aren’t exactly direct competitors, and the offer isn’t insignificant for those already thinking of ditching the Germans in favor of the Swedes. But wait, there’s more.

Buyers of a certified pre-owned Volvo stand to gain a $750 credit and a seven-year, 100,000 mile warranty, plus free roadside assistance. Oh, and there’s also existing incentives for Volkswagen and Audi owners totaling several thousand dollars in savings. A buyer of a 2016 V60 could see $4,500 placed on the hood (for a limited time, anyway).

Volvo is slowly recovering in the U.S. after several years wandering the sales desert. If it’s able to lure some Volkswagen owners into its fold, Germany’s loss is Sweden’s gain.

[Image: Volvo]

#Discounts #Incentives #Volkswagen #Volvo #VwDieselScandal

Steph Willems

More by Steph Willems

Comments

Join the conversation

2 of 48 comments

Tylanner on Oct 31, 2016

I submit you cannot compete with Volkswagen. Nobody offers the combination of features around which many of the VW products have formed. You can only decry their reliability with the true cost of ownership metric. You'd have to denounce a good number of industry accolades in the process but this scandal and some reliability numbers make that a pretty easy sell. People always want a good deal...but do you feel lucky? The default answer to that questions can be found in sales figures.

Like Reply
Lightspeed on Oct 31, 2016

My only Volvo experience was an 850 that was comically bad. I wonder if the new ones are any better?

Like Reply

Recent Comments

Formula m For the gas versions I like the Honda CRV. Haven’t driven the hybrids yet.
SCE to AUX All that lift makes for an easy rollover of your $70k truck.
SCE to AUX My son cross-shopped the RAV4 and Model Y, then bought the Y. To their surprise, they hated the RAV4.
SCE to AUX I'm already driving the cheap EV (19 Ioniq EV).$30k MSRP in late 2018, $23k after subsidy at lease (no tax hassle)$549/year insurance$40 in electricity to drive 1000 miles/month66k miles, no range lossAffordable 16" tiresVirtually no maintenance expensesHyundai (for example) has dramatically cut prices on their EVs, so you can get a 361-mile Ioniq 6 in the high 30s right now.But ask me if I'd go to the Subaru brand if one was affordable, and the answer is no.
David Murilee Martin, These Toyota Vans were absolute garbage. As the labor even basic service cost 400% as much as servicing a VW Vanagon or American minivan. A skilled Toyota tech would take about 2.5 hours just to change the air cleaner. Also they also broke often, as they overheated and warped the engine and boiled the automatic transmission...