Volvo Cars sales in China returns to growth in April

STOCKHOLM - While demand in Europe and the United States continued to be affected by the coronavirus pandemic, sales of Volvo Cars in China returned to growth in April with showroom traffic back to normal levels.

Volvo Cars sold 31,760 cars in April, down 43.8 percent compared with the same month last year, according to the company's press release on Tuesday. In the January to April period, Volvo Cars' global sales reached 163,649 cars, down 24.9 percent compared with the same period last year.

The share of Volvo Cars' Recharge line-up of chargeable Volvo models doubled in the first four months, from 7 percent to 14 percent, compared with the same period last year. Recharge is the overarching brand-name for all chargeable Volvo models with a fully electric or plug-in hybrid powertrain, the company said.

China sales in April reached 14,724 cars, up 20.8 percent as compared with the same month last year. In the first four months of the year, however, sales declined by 15.6 percent, compared with the same period last year.

US sales in April stood at 3,866 cars, down 53.8 percent compared with the same month last year. A majority of states in the country have now implemented stay-at-home orders, which have led to a significant drop in showroom traffic. Between January and April, US sales declined by 23.3 percent to 23,351 cars, compared with the same period last year.

Volvo Cars' sales in Europe reached 9,283 cars in April, down 66.8 percent over the same month last year. In the first four months of the year, sales declined by 30.3 percent year-on-year.

The European sales performance was significantly impacted in April by restricted movement in several key markets including Germany, the UK, France, Italy and Belgium.

In April, the XC60 mid-size SUV was the top-selling model for the company, followed by the compact XC40 SUV and the large XC90 SUV. During the month, SUVs accounted for 66.3 percent of the company's total sales, up from 62.4 percent in the same month last year.

Volvo Cars, acquired by Chinese automaker Geely in 2010, employs 41,500 people globally in 2019.