Volvo to put more pressure on BMW, Mercedes, Chairman says
 

Volvo is counting on more-premium models and a flexible vehicle architecture to propel it to new heights.

Volvo Chairman Li Shufu told Automotive News Europe that the Concept You that debuted at last month's Frankfurt auto show is an example of "a very competitive product in the top-level premium segment." He added that the car derived from the concept will be Volvo's largest and most expensive model, which will be aimed at the BMW 5 series and Mercedes E class when it debuts "sometime around 2015."

The car is part of Volvo's $11 billion five-year investment plan to mount a serious challenge to BMW, Audi and Mercedes's dominance in global premium car sales.

Another key feature of the Chinese-owned Swedish automaker's plan to double its volume to 800,000 by the end of the decade is its so-called scalable platform architecture, or SPA.

"SPA will allow 80 percent of Volvo models to be built on the same production line regardless of vehicle size and complexity," Volvo CEO Stefan Jacoby told Automotive News Europe.

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