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Volvo's future with Geely 'bright': Ford head

Published: 13 Jan 10 07:46 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/24348/20100113/

Volvo Cars is set to thrive under new management after Ford completes the sale of its Swedish brand to Chinese automaker Geely, Ford CEO Alan Mulally said Tuesday.

"I think Volvo has a very, very bright future," Mulally said.

"They're great business people, they love the product and they're going to be a great owner for Volvo."

Mulally reiterated that Ford is not considering any other bidders for Volvo but declined to say when the deal would close.

"We don't give a specific date out for it because these are very sophisticated conversations we have because we have to make sure that we have all of our support for Volvo all lined up so we don't have a timeframe," he told reporters on the sidelines of a conference hosted by Automotive News.

"We're just making great progress."

Ford will continue to invest in Volvo up until the day the deal closes and will "support Volvo for as long as it takes," he added.

"Volvo is just a fabulous brand, it's a global brand," Mulally said.

"We are divesting these other brands not because we don't like them -- they are fabulous brands -- (but) our point of view going forward is, we need to focus on Ford."

AFP/The Local (news@thelocal.se)

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16:58 January 13, 2010 by Thebinary1
Congratulations Volvo. Your future may play out as follows:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/01/13/2791223.htm?section=justin
17:00 January 13, 2010 by 2394040
After the SAAB farce, how many people totally buy this story? Does Volvo have a future? Now that it has financial backing, or course it does. What I DON'T buy is its future in Sweden. I've said it before, China will not, over the long-term, do business with labor unions. The only way that a substantial amount of Volvo work will remain in Sweden is if the unions are completely out of the picture. If that happens, then I would say that Volvo has a future in Sweden. Otherwise, most of the work will go to China and other slave-labor areas. And even if it remained in Sweden, auto workers will see a gradual and continuous drop in their standard of living. Not to mention the fact that more and more demands will be made on them by their employer. I know that for a fact, after over 40 years of factory work here in the USA.

One should never take at face value what the corporate world says. These people are totally ruthless, and they look out for themselves first. So beware of what they say, and always observe what they do. It's rare that words and actions agree.
03:24 January 14, 2010 by volvoman9
That Geely in the picture on the header is truly a bright looking car! The translation of this tome is " We could give a sh@t what happens to Volvo any more than we cared what happened to Land Rover, Jaguar or Aston Martin. We can't afford to worry about anything but survival." It's a cold cruel world; buy your next Volvo before they begin to look like the whore's dream in the header.
08:50 January 15, 2010 by spy
I am pretty sure that Mullally would have failed the test if he had said this while hooked up to a lie detector. But anyway Ford and Volvo should be congratulated for securing a new owner in a relatively humane way. I just hope Volvo can keep their soul . . .
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