New car buyers spawn another species that most manufacturers want to woo - those of us who are content to drive a good used product. It's a particularly competitive business in the upper echelons of the market and the Mercedes-Benz used car sale in recent years has shown the extent of customer interest. Andrew Hamilton reports.
Enhancing residual values and winning these customers means putting forward a comprehensive used warranty and now Volvo has cheekily put its head above the parapet and said that its scheme, introduced last May, is simply the best around, beating that of the three-pointed star et al.
In fact, Adrian Yeates, marketing manager of Volvo Car Ireland, says that the Irish scheme gives used Volvo buyers an even higher level of cover than in other Volvo markets.
So, what do you get with a sturdy used Swede? For a start, the car can be any age but it mustn't have more than 100,000 miles on the clock. With Volvo 77 years old, there are interesting possibilities.
Other key elements are a 12-month, 20,000-mile warranty; 12-months RAC breakdown cover and, in the event of a major breakdown, a 14-day and 1,000-mile exchange commitment.
Meanwhile, Volvo has announced new Irish prices for its luxury all-roader, the XC90. This may just be a bit academic, especially for those who haven't yet put in their orders. Demand has been such that orders taken now will only get delivery early next year when, presumably, prices will have gone up somewhat.
Yeates says he was lucky in getting the Irish allocation more than doubled: "We had expected 75 originally, and now we are delighted to be getting an additional 90."
Apart from its obvious all-wheel-drive technology, he thinks its appeal in Irish and European markets has been heightened by seven-seater availability.
The D5 with a five-cylinder 2.4 litre 163 bhp common-rail turbodiesel engine, will dominate Irish sales at €62,000 ex-works. Competitively, it is pitched against BMW's X5 turbodiesel, the 184 bhp 3.0 litre at €67,000 ex-works. The two petrol versions, the five-cylinder 2.5 litre petrol version with 210 bhp, and the 272 bhp 2.9 litre six-cylinder with twin turbochargers, are respectively €63,000 and €70,400 ex-works.
These prices are actually an increase on those announced late last year, and Yeates says it has all to do with model year changes with about 60 customers paying the lower prices. prices.
Where are the XC customers coming from? "Mostly large saloons, coupé convertibles and large MPVs such as the Renault Espace and Ford Galaxy. It's virtually all conquest business and we're happy that few, if any, are giving up a Volvo saloon or estate for the XC90."
Volvo heartened by the success of the XC90, is now confidently planning a smaller all-wheel-drive vehicle. According to reports, it will go on sale in two to three years, with a size and capacity similar to the Land Rover Freelander. It will compete with a future BMW junior off-roader, the X3.