Volvo's Goal: Sell 100,000 Cars A Year

Here comes the sun, and I say, it's all right. The Beatles said it best in their soliloquy from '69. And Volvo has reason to genuinely believe that very verse as it is begins to accelerate out of the sales fog into the sunlight of a new era. The beleaguered Swedish brand's new and upcoming models coupled with a fresh $500 million state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Charleston, SC (its first in the U.S.) will help them to reach their sales goal.

Nothing New

Between 2008 - 2014, Volvo struggled to stay relevant as Ford sold the brand off to Chinese automaker Geely for a reported $1.5 billion. The last time Volvo actually turned a profit was way back in 2005 when it sold 123,874 cars. Its best year was 2004, as it sold 139,384 models. The XC90 accounted for 39,230 of those--a record for the model.

But the brand's recent reinvigoration will change all that. Sales-wise, Volvo did extremely well between 2000 - 2007 and the plan is to get back to those big sales. And the XC90 will help do do just that.

New Crossover

The well-executed 2016 Volvo XC90 is first up to bat. It's a 7-seat, premium crossover that offers oodles of standard features, performance and upscale creature comforts--all at a very reasonable price, making it pleasantly surprising value in the segment. Some might get a smidge of sticker shock, but after they take a moment to compare the XC90 against the competition, they'll change their view.

Moreover, although Volvo narrowly missed the recent revival in U.S. auto sales, they're primed for a big jump. Out of the current seven-model lineup for 2015, four of the vehicles are crossovers. If you include the V60 wagon, that makes five.

The outgoing 2014 XC90 aged badly, both from a consumer and reviewer standpoint. A 2015 model was not offered (thankfully) which probably built up some demand for the 2016.

Upcoming Models

Future Volvo models will be offered in three groups, or "clusters" as Volvo refers to them as:

• 90 Series Models - Larger
• 60 Series Models - Midsize
• 40 Series Models - Compact

In addition, the three-by-three strategy will offer three different sizes of a car, with each being offered as a sedan, SUV and wagon/hatchback.

The next model due up for Volvo is the 2018 Volvo S90 which will be a large sedan and its wagon twin, the 2018 Volvo V90. The Volvo S90 will replace the current S80 while the Volvo V90 will replace the current XC70.

Will Volvo Reach the Goal?

Yes. With the new XC90 accounting for roughly one-third of sales, Volvo should hit the goal by 2019 as sales for the models mentioned above will get bundled into the tally.

If you're shopping for a premium crossover--even a not-so-premium crossover--we urge you to take a closer look at the XC90. The sun has returned, and so will the smiles.