“I see this award as acknowledgement of the efforts made by the entire Volvo Cars organisation in recent years,” said Samuelsson after receiving the award on Tuesday.
It was a double honour for Volvo as the award came a day after the Volvo XC40 was voted the European Car of the Year 2018 by the Car of the Year awards team, which is separate from the World Car of the Year group that also runs its own awards programme.
Volvo Cars achieved record profits and sales in 2017, with a 27.7 per cent increase in operating profit and global sales of 571,577 cars. The results mark the company’s fourth consecutive year of record growth, underlining the transformation of Volvo’s finances and operations under Samuelsson’s stewardship - and Geely funding. China's Geely owns Volvo.
Under Samuelsson’s watch, Volvo Cars has introduced the Scalable Product Architecture and Compact Modular Architecture, which both underpin a revitalised range that has rolled out seven new models in the past three years.
As part of the new-look range, Volvo for the first time offers three globally available SUVs in the fastest-growing segment in the industry.
Last year, Volvo Cars made an industry-first announcement that every new Volvo car launched from 2019 will have an electric motor. Volvo’s commitment to electrification was further underlined by the launch of Polestar as a new stand-alone electrified car brand.
Meanwhile, finalists in various categories of the 2018 World Car Awards were revealed at the Geneva show in the run-up to winners' announcement at the upcoming New York International Auto Show (March 30-April 8). Its top award - the 2018 World Car of the Year - has shortlisted the Mazda CX-5, Range Rover Velar and Volvo XC60.
2018 World Car of the Year:
- Mazda CX-5
- Range Rover Velar
- Volvo XC60
2018 World Urban Car:
- Ford Fiesta
- Suzuki Swift
- Volkswagen Polo
2018 World Luxury Car:
- Audi A8
- Porsche Cayenne
- Porsche Panamera
2018 World Performance Car:
-BMW M5
- Honda Civic Type R
- Lexus LC 500
2018 World Green Car:
- BMW 530e iPerformance
- Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid
- Nissan LEAF
2018 World Car Design of the Year:
- Lexus LC 500
- Range Rover Velar
- Volvo XC60
