|
Erv,
I agree. There is, as far as I can see, little to none for Volvo to gain by entering this oversaturated market. They do still hold their reputation for unparrelleled safety and as such may be able to create a niche market, but displacing Lexus in the same price range will be an uphill battle involving more advertising dollars than it is probably worth. However, if you are a soccer mom, you would probably prefer the Volvo SUV to the Windstar for safety purposes if not (unfortunately) as a status symbol.
As for us - we are a growing family and my wife is intriqued by the forthcoming SUV offering from Volvo. We bought the S70 over other more typical vehicles (Maxima, Outback) almost strictly based upon safety reputation, with just a tinge of respect for the trouble-free miles that a 240DL gave me when I first got out of college. Bottom line is, if her buying a Volvo SUV means that I get my damn S70 back then I am already Volvo's SUV's biggest fan!
We will no doubt be keeping an eye on the Overseas delivery price on the SUV vus-a-vis the V70. Volvo may very well be releasing this vehicle into a soft economy and if the pricing is good enough then maybe, just maybe, we go against better judgement and take a flier on a first-year-of-production vehicle. We would however do some serious comparison shopping. We love the S70, but it has not been without its issues.
Dave
|
