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> If in the past safety conscious swedish engineers cared about it, they surely have very little say right now Subsidiaries can have a different culture from t
by sangnoir 2y ago
> If in the past safety conscious swedish engineers cared about it, they surely have very little say right now
Subsidiaries can have a different culture from their parent organizations. Volvo still has engineers and designers in Sweden, and Tata owns Land Rover and Jaguar, which seem to be doing okay safety wise and don't appear to be obviously cutting corners like the Vinfast project. I have seen no evidence of a decline in Volvo's safety record, the "but surely Geely doesn't care." argument is a reverse appeal-to-authority, in the absence of evidence. It is entirely possible that Geely (and Tata) may have poor safety cultures, but their foreign subsidiaries do a much better job.
- constantcrying 2y agoCompanies like Stellantis are very keen on brands using standardized platforms. I would be very surprised if in the future Volvos weren't using engineered in China Platforms, which are localized for Europe (same for Land Rover with engineered in India). If Swedish engineers are just developing hats, their influence on crash safety is significantly reduced. Right now Volvo still uses an inhouse platform, where they do actually have control, but it is obviously inefficient to develop numerous similar platforms for different brands.
- sangnoir 2y agoSure, but we should be clear that it's speculation on future behavior (sound as it may be). That has not happened (yet). Some MNC's succeed in not killing the goose that lays the golden eggs (I'm also speculating)
- constantcrying 2y agoI agree that it would be unfair to evaluate the company on what it hasn't done.
- creer 2y agoVolvo is an interesting case. Being acquired, becoming a subsidiary, is famous last words for the past culture and focus. If the acquirer really cared to retain that safety focus, I would have expected doubling down on related advertising and PR work. But from where I sit, Volvo advertising and safety PR has entirely disappeared. That does not bode well for that "safety focus". Anyone has current info?
- constantcrying 2y agoAs pointed out elsewhere their cars still perform well on crash tests and they still use their own platform. I think what will or won't break the whole thing os whether their next generation of cars will still use a self developed platform. If they do, then I would consider it quite likely that management at Volvo has the independence needed to keep their own vision. If Geely forces a platform onto them, then I think it is a pretty clear statement that they see Volvo as nothing but brand recognition.
- creer 2y agoFor that matter, is Volvo popular in China? Does Volvo advertise in China?