The Big Question : Comment Volvo peut-elle concurrencer les véhicules électriques chinois ?
« Il n'y a pas vraiment de protection sous forme de droits de douane. La seule protection pour notre industrie est de nous adapter et d'être encore plus compétitifs », a déclaré le PDG de Volvo à Euronews.
00:00Vous pouvez maintenant parler naturellement avec votre voiture.
00:02Ils perdent le marché aux chinois.
00:05Si nous pouvons sauver la vie et faire les voitures safer,
00:09nous sommes très open pour partager ça.
00:16Bienvenue à The Big Question,
00:19le Euronews-series où nous s'arrêtons avec certains de les plus grands noms dans le business.
00:25Je suis Elinor Butler et aujourd'hui je suis conçue par Håkan Samuelsson.
00:30CEO de Volvo Cars.
00:32So, let's start off with a broad look at the auto sector here in Europe.
00:36What are the key trends but also the major challenges?
00:40I think three new things, three challenges.
00:44One is the position we have on the Chinese market.
00:47It's getting much tougher.
00:49New Chinese competitors, especially the new electric cars coming in on the market.
00:54That's something new for the European brands in China.
00:59They are losing market share to the Chinese, especially in the electric ones.
01:05And the other is, of course, all of the talks now about tariffs that change how we can export cars to the U.S.
01:12We have been big exporters of cars from Europe to both China and to the U.S.
01:17that this has changed and we need to adapt to a new situation.
01:21On top of that, the third one is, of course, electrification.
01:25We need to electrify because of the climate challenge.
01:31Back in 2021, Volvo announced that it would be all electric by the end of the decade.
01:47Now you've scaled that down, aiming for a 90% electric and plug-in hybrid mix by 2030.
01:56Can you tell me about that decision?
01:59Our future as a company, I think, still is as an all-electric company.
02:04And what we see now, maybe we're a bit over-optimistic that this could be restored already 2030.
02:11I mean, in some regions, the charging infrastructure is not yet there.
02:18So I think we need to rely on the possibilities to drive on a combustion engine when you lack charging possibilities.
02:27So I think to have a credible end date for combustion cars need to be combined with a very credible date also for investments and expansion of the charging networks.
02:41Otherwise, of course, it will not be possible to be all-electric 2035.
02:48And another of Volvo's major aims is safety.
02:51So actually, I believe that it was one of your engineers who invented the three-point seatbelts back in the 1950s.
02:58Can you tell us how you're prioritizing safety at the moment?
03:02Safety is always a part of our brand.
03:06We do much more than the standards require.
03:09And of course, we use modern technology AI to be even better.
03:14Best example is, of course, if we're going to have self-driven car or cars with advanced autopilots.
03:22That's really where you need AI to really recognize everything on the road and have very natural control of the car.
03:30But also in the safety areas, I'm very proud of our new seatbelts, which adapt now to the body size of the passengers.
03:39That's something that, of course, makes the seatbelt even better.
03:43And will you be sharing this technology with other firms or would you keep it to yourself to support Volvo's competitiveness?
03:52No, I think we have an opinion of sharing that.
03:56I mean, if we can save life and make cars safer, we are very open to share that with anybody who wants to use it.
04:03Now, let's talk about tariffs.
04:06U.S. President Donald Trump has put a 25 percent duty on imported cars and car parts.
04:14How is that affecting Volvo?
04:15It's very difficult then, of course, to export cars out of Europe, at least with the profitability, because cost increase, of course, when you bring them in.
04:28So, we need to always react.
04:30One is to hope that the European Union could strike a deal with the U.S. about a reasonable tariff system for the car sector.
04:40I don't think it's overoptimistic either to believe that there is a possibility for such a deal.
04:47But independently of that, I believe also we need to produce more locally.
04:53So, we are strengthening our Americas region, not just to sell imported cars, but also to build more cars in the U.S.
05:02And we are very happy to have a factory in Charleston, South Carolina, and we are now looking into utilizing that more, adding a car line to our lineup there.
05:13So, we need now to find a bit sort of bread-and-butter model that can sell in high volumes, which we can deliver faster to our customers and, of course, reduce stock and transportation costs.
05:25So, local production is not only a cost increase, it has advantages also.
05:32So, even if the tariffs would come down to a more reasonable level, we still need to use our factory more than we do today.
05:40And Chinese EV firms are competing for customers in Europe, but are you worried that a glut of Chinese cars could potentially make their way to Europe if they are diverted away from the U.S. because of tariffs?
05:55We will have very tough competition from new Chinese EV players, and then the sooner we get used to that and the sooner we start developing our cars, the better.
06:07There is really no protection in form from tariffs or other ways.
06:12The only protection for our industry is that we shape up, and we need to be more competitive.
06:19And in China, you're facing fierce competition from firms like BYD that offer low-cost models.
06:27Can you effectively challenge these firms for market share in China?
06:31Yeah, for sure we will try to do that, and so we need to be better there, and I think to be better we need also to make the business in China a bit more regional.
06:44We need to listen more to the local people in the region and adapt a bit to local habits and local taste, and also have some cars that are special maybe for the Chinese market.
06:59And looking ahead, how do you see the future of personal transport?
07:04Electric cars with advanced autopilots is both from convenience and environment a good solution for long-range travel, a very personal way of traveling.
07:17But of course it does not solve the problem with congestion on the roads, so I think we also of course need other concepts.
07:26I think high-speed trains, for example, is a very convenient way of traveling long distances in Europe that has to be developed and expanded, I think.
07:40But looking into ours, electric cars with autopilot, we are well prepared for future convenient transports.
07:49Thank you so much for sharing your insights for the big question.
