Volvo Car Malaysia getting new MD, Stegland retiring

By CARSIFU | 31 January 2019


Jain (left) making his inaugural speech to the Malaysian media today. With him is the outgoing Volvo Car Malaysia managing director, Stegland.


PETALING JAYA: Come March 1, Volvo Car Malaysia will have a new managing director.

Nalin Jain will succeed Lennart Stegland, 65, who is retiring after a three-year stint in Malaysia.

The management change was announced at a Volvo media appreciation dinner in Kuala Lumpur today.

Jain was the chief financial officer with Volvo Auto India prior to his Malaysian posting. He has over 20 years' experience in the automotive, consulting and technology fields.

Jain holds a Master's degree in engineering from State University of New York and an MBA from the Sloan School of Management at MIT.

Stegland has served the Volvo group for 40 years, holding leading positions in research and development, marketing and sales as well as having managed various national sales companies. He took up the Malaysian posting in January 2016.

During Stegland's watch, he had instituted a transformation plan that involved an overhaul of retail operations, customer touch points and product offerings.

Jain.
Jain.


Last year saw Volvo Car Malaysia registering a 35% volume growth over 2017, with 1,384 vehicles sold, led by the XC60.

The company exported a total of 1,889 units of V40, XC40, S60, V60, XC60 and XC90 to Thailand, Taiwan, Vietnam and the Philippines, thanks to investments made to its Shah Alam plant to cater for more assembly volume and new platforms such as the Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) that underpins the new 60s and 90s range, and the Modular Compact Architecture (MCA) used by the XC40.

One notable achievement in 2018 was the rollout of the Volvo Service Agreement, which includes a comprehensive service package that covers replacement of most wear-and-tear parts (tyres excluded). It gave owners the freedom to choose between a 3-year or 5-year plan.

"It is common practice in the industry to include the cost of the service packages into the sticker price of the car," said Stegland.

"We are challenging this by being transparent about these costs and letting the customers select a plan that is more suited to their individual preferences."

Volvo Car Leasing was also set up in 2018 - a first for Volvo Cars in South-East Asia.

For 2019, Volvo Car Malaysia said it would open more dealerships, offer personalised service and a new parts management system to ensure quick availability. It is also expected to offer insurance services in a tie-up with AXA Insurance.

The company is projecting a double digit growth in 2019 with the new XC40 and the opening of more dealerships as the main drivers.

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