Skip to main content

Volvo may swap auto shows for online sales and more digital marketing

2015 Volvo XC90
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Online shopping has revolutionized many areas of retail, but car buying isn’t one of them.

With the notable exception of Tesla Motors and a few other cases, shopping for a car is something that’s still done primarily in showrooms.

Recommended Videos

However, Volvo has gotten hip to the fact that all of the kids are hanging on the Internet these days, and thinks more people might want to buy a car the same way they buy obscure collectibles and clothing they just end up returning anyway.

It’s part of a new marketing strategy that will also see increased emphasis on digital advertising and a smaller presence at international auto shows, Volvo sales chief Alain Visser said in a recent interview with Reuters.

Tesla’s strategy of direct sales – either online or through its company-owned stores – has enraged dealers, but Volvo doesn’t see itself as challenging the traditional franchised model.

Cars sold online will still “pass through the dealer network,” Visser said, but the company will still have to navigate state franchise laws and auto-dealer associations.

While Volvo plans to expand its presence online, it will also shrink its footprint in the real world.

The company will reportedly withdraw from all but one major auto show in each of three key regions – Europe, North America, and Asia – and stage its own event instead.

Auto shows are the traditional venue for unveiling new models, but the flexibility of the Internet and the 24-hour coverage it enables have led automakers to branch out.

Recent unveilings like the 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata and 2014 BMW i3 were staged as standalone online events, gaining more coverage than they might have at an auto show through spectacle and not having to compete with other new-car launches.

A relatively small carmaker like Volvo still needs to stay visible, though, and strategists appear to be betting that online visibility is worth more than real-world visibility.

Topics
Stephen Edelstein
Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…
Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and EVs offer big incentives as year nears its end
chrysler dodge jeep ev incentives record my24 hybrid gallery 04 exterior desktop jpg image 1440

It’s no secret that automakers and dealerships typically climb over each other to offer the best incentives before the year ends. But this year’s sales season is expected to be particularly competitive, with slowing sales translating to greater urgency to clear inventory.

According to research from Kelley Blue Book, the respected vehicle-valuation firm, overall incentives on new vehicle sales were up by 60% in October compared to the previous year.

Read more
Jeep, Ram EREVs will get 690-mile range with new Stellantis platform
A 2025 Ram 1500 Ramcharger sits in a vineyard.

Stellantis, the giant automotive group, is betting big on extending the range of both its hybrid and fully electric vehicles (EVs).

Last month, the company, which owns the Jeep, Dodge, and Ram brands in the U.S., invested nearly $30 million into an advanced wind tunnel at its research center in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The goal is to study airflow around a vehicle’s wheels and tires to further optimize its EVs and boost their range.

Read more
Self-driving vehicle rules set to loosen under Trump, report says
self driving looser rules trump screenshot 2024 10 at 54 56 pm 6708947b14810

Tesla “has been very clear the future is autonomous,” CEO Elon Musk said in October, shortly after unveiling the Cybercab, Tesla’s self-driving robotaxi.

It now seems that Musk, who was recently nominated to lead a newly-created "Department of Government Efficiency," is sharing his crystal ball with the incoming Trump administration.

Read more