Volvo's new S60 impresses with simple Scandinavian style

There's little doubt German giants Audi, BMW and Mercedes are dominant in China's premium car segment, but other brands are also making their mark with their distinctive characteristics.

One of them is Swedish carmaker Volvo, whose understated and minimalist Scandinavian style appeals to well-educated middle-class consumers with its similarities with traditional Chinese philosophy.

Scandinavian style often revolves around simplicity, and this was highlighted in the launch event of Volvo's S60 sedan, which was held in Shanghai on Friday.

None of the company's executives took to the stage to give speeches during the launch, except the sales chief who released the prices, and no designers or engineers explained product details to media representatives at the event.

Instead, three Chinese couples and two middle aged men－musicians, writers, university lecturers and directors－were invited to share their stories with Volvo cars.

It is not there was little for Volvo to say about the car. Built on the brand's SPA platform, the new S60, with seven variants, will compete against mid-size sedans such as the Audi A4, BMW 3 Series and Cadillac CT5.

The cabin features an air cleaning system that can remove 95 percent of fine particulate matte less or equal to 2.5 micrometers in diameter, which is a good selling point in China.

The model also boasts a whole set of driving assist functions. Its seats are equipped with a whiplash protection system which can reduce short-term injuries by 33 percent and long-term ones by over 50 percent in car accidents, according to Volvo.

"Keeping things simple creates a sense of calm and allows you to focus on the details," said T. Jon Mayer, a senior Volvo designer, once told reporters.

"It's a characteristic that you often find in Scandinavian architecture and furniture, where a design is refined to its essentials yet still has an air of luxury and sophistication."

Chinese are buying the philosophy. Volvo's sales in China were up 26.7 percent in November, compared with the same period last year, to 14,502 cars.

The company said the strong growth in the country was led by the demand for the locally produced XC60, the S90 and the XC40.

Sales in China in the January-November period grew 16.3 percent year-on-year to 138,053 cars, already more than its full year sales in 2018.

Globally, the company's sales in the first 11 months this year reached 631,213 cars from 582,096 cars in the same period last year, a growth of 8.4 percent. Volvo said the strong performance in the year has put it firmly on course to set a new global annual sales record in 2019. In 2018, the company sold 642,253 cars worldwide.