Volvo global sales to be lowest in 12 years

The Swedish brand, currently owned by Ford Motor Company, expects its 2008 global sales will be about 380,000 vehicles, according to Volvo spokeswoman Maria Bohlin. That will be down from global sales of 458,323 vehicles the previous year.

The last time Volvo’s global sales fell below 380,000 was in 1996 when they were 363,322. However, they have been 400,000 or more since Ford bought Volvo in 1999. Ford says it is now reviewing options for Volvo, including a possible sale as the Volvo brand is currently losing money, and Ford has been trying to restructure the business.

In the US, Volvo sales fell 29.7 percent to 68,149 vehicles through November compared with the same 11-month period a year ago. November sales plunged to 4,404 vehicles, down 46.5 percent from November 2007.