Top service drives Volvo to 11,000 sales

Volvo Car Korea broke into the "10,000 club” with sales of 11,123 cars from January to September, joining import power players BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Tesla, according to data from the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributers Association.

Volvo Car Korea has earned the No. 1 ranking for customer service satisfaction. [VOLVO CAR KOREA]

Volvo Car Korea broke into the "10,000 club” with sales of 11,123 cars from January to September, joining import power players BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Tesla, according to data from the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributers Association.

With an average of 1,200 sales per month, the Swedish premium car brand is making its presence known in Korea, making gains on the back of competitive pricing and high marketability despite the fiercely competitive import market.

The brand was also boosted by quality service and consumer satisfaction in line with the company's customer-first philosophy. In the 2024 Annual Automobile Syndicated Study conducted by consumer research institute Consumer Insight, Volvo Car Korea ranked highest in the Customer Service Index among all domestic and imported automobile brands.

With a score of 856 points — 52 points above the industry average — the brand retained the top spot for the fourth consecutive year after cracking the top three in 2020, becoming the top-rated European brand in the country.

Volvo Car Korea was also the highest-ranking European brand on the Sales Service Index, which surveys customers who purchased a car within the last year, signifying high consumer satisfaction in both service and sales.

The high rankings appear to reflect the effectiveness of the Swedish automaker's broad efforts and investments to improve customer satisfaction. Volvo Car Korea’s “Service by Volvo” focuses on providing practical and direct benefits to owners with minimized costs, fast and convenient service, and strong expertise and accuracy.

The program offers a five-year or 200,000-kilometer (124,000-mile) warranty, an industry best. For high-voltage batteries used in plug-in hybrid models and battery-powered electric vehicles, the warranty is valid for eight years or 160,000 kilometers.

Volvo also introduced the industry’s first “Lifetime Parts Warranty,” further lowering repair and maintenance costs.

In a bid to additionally reduce inconveniences in maintenance and repairs, Volvo Car Korea committed to an investment of 110 billion won ($81 million) to expand its service centers by 15 percent compared to the previous year.

It also runs an apprentice training program to cultivate technicians and enhance service capabilities.

The company aims to take the lead in an era in which cars “get newer with each drive” with the introduction of free over-the-air software updates for 15 years, and is the first in the industry to provide owners with a personal service technician through the Volvo Personal Service program.

The automaker was the first imported brand to offer real-time customer service via Kakao Chat to book service center visits and consult on repairs, and the “Volvo Car Customer Evaluation Policy” reinforces satisfactory service practices with assessments from the customer’s perspective. Moreover, from mileage to expenses and repair records, Volvo owners can efficiently manage their car with the Hej Volvo app’s “Car Ledger” function, showing how Volvo Korea has continued efforts to provide a differentiated level of consumer satisfaction.

BY KIM YEONSOO [kim.yeonsoo1@joongang.co.kr]