Exhilarating, economical, and environment-friendly, the new Volvo cars on display at the Volvo Ocean Race (VOR) in Hong Kong might make its way to Philippine roads soon. This is what Volvo Philippines’ Chief Executive Officer and President Atty. Alberto B. Arcilla recently revealed.
Exciting New Volvos
Pristine white Volvos were made available to the public at the recent Volvo Ocean Race stopover in Hong Kong. Special Volvo Ocean Race Editions of the Volvo V90 and XC40 proudly showed off their Ocean Race livery while lavish attention was also showered upon the luxurious XC60 T8 Plug-in Hybrid and XC90 T8 Excellence. The sophisticated design and opulent accoutrements of the Volvo S90 T8 Excellence and Inscription variants also awed event-goers.
When asked by Volvo clients – winners of the local Volvo Alumni Golf Championship — who were part of the Volvo Philippines contingent if these awesome models will ever see Philippine soil, Atty. Arcilla modestly replied, “We are definitely looking forward to having new additions to our already impressive range. With the new price positioning that we have, brought about by the recent excise tax implementation, there is a possibility that some, if not all, of these Volvos here, will be made available to the local market within 2018.”
The new excise tax rates make Volvo vehicles now more competitive to the Philippine market. Also, the government strengthens its thrust to promote environmental consciousness by supporting automobiles using hybrid and fully electric engines through significant tax exemptions. This policy paves the way for Volvo Philippines to fully introduce to the local market the Volvo range of hybrid and electric models. This drivetrain electrification technology is Volvo Car Corporations product development focus for all future Volvo models. “We are confident that the new product offers, especially Volvo’s hybrid and electric models, will excite the Philippine market and boost enthusiasm for Volvo” quips Atty. Arcilla.
Volvo Cars and Sailing: A perfect match
To witness the first time that the Ocean Race fleet has docked in Hong Kong waters was Håkan Samuelsson, CEO and President of Volvo Car Group. He shares the same message with Martin Lundstedt, CEO and President of Volvo Car Group, that the race is not all about the boats or technology. Instead, it is about people, which is at the core of everything that Volvo does. The professionalism, teamwork, and courage to take things to their limit while still keeping safety a priority make sailing and Volvo an ideal match. Both the cars and the sailing event reflect the Volvo core values of quality, safety, and care for the environment.
Samuelsson, who was recently awarded 2018 World Car Person of the Year by the World Car of the Year jury at the Geneva Motor Show in Switzerland, shares that he is personally involved in the sustainability efforts of the Volvo Ocean Race. “We try to live up to our brand image, for example, protecting what’s important. I think we have a very big problem with plastic pollution in the seas. This is not just about racing. The ships are also equipped with sensors and we have special activities with our people here to build awareness about this problem.”