First ever win for Swedish luxury brand
Volvo's premium XC60 SUV has won Wheels magazine's Car of The Year for 2018.
Competing against a 22-strong field of contenders, the XC60 claimed the coveted award for automotive excellence at a gala dinner in Melbourne last night.
Wheels editor Alex Inwood said judges considered the XC60 head and shoulders above its rivals.
"No matter where you look, the Volvo XC60 feels like a premium product. In an era defined by superficiality, the XC60 is exactly the product we expect from an engineering-led brand like Volvo. It sets a new global benchmark for medium SUVs and is a deserving winner of the Wheels Car of the Year award.
"The XC60 not only caught the eye with great styling, it consistently delivered throughout our rigorous testing program, ultimately out-pointing all-comers to be a most worthy winner.
It's the first time Volvo has won the prestigious award, which has been running since 1963. The Wheels award judges cars against strict criteria, taking into account function, technology, efficiency, safety and value.
"You can see and feel the love and care devoted to the XC60 during its development, not to mention Volvo's ambition. The result is a terrific family SUV – at once both safe, stylish, good value and fun to drive – as well as a deserving Car of the Year winner," Inwood said.
"Finally, the billions of dollars Volvo has invested in Sweden's proud and often-pioneering 90-year-old marque have come to fruition."
Stephen Connor, acting Managing Director of Volvo Car Australia said:
"We are absolutely thrilled to have won the Wheels Car of The Year for the first time in our long history as a brand in Australia. When we launched XC60 in Australia last October we knew it ticked all the boxes for performance, styling, safety and value.
"Winning Car of The Year Award is the icing on the cake."
The 2018 Wheels Car of The Year Award continues a big year for Volvo XC60 which has won the 2018 SUV of The Year in America, and the 2017 Euro NCAP Best in Class Safety Award.
Volvo Group in 2016
For the 2016 financial year, Volvo Car Group recorded an operating profit of 11,014 MSEK (6,620 MSEK in 2015). Revenue over the period amounted to 180,672 MSEK (164,043 MSEK). For the full year 2016, global sales reached a record 534,332 cars, an increase of 6.2 per cent versus 2015. The record sales and operating profit cleared the way for Volvo Car Group to continue investing in its global transformation plan.
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 534,332 cars in 2016 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 2016, Volvo Cars had over 31,000 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), Chengdu and Daqing (China), while engines are manufactured in Skövde (Sweden) and Zhangjiakou (China) and body components in Olofström (Sweden).