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Volvo Cars new chief vows to make it profitable

Volvo Cars new chief vows to make it profitable

Write: Sharman [2011-05-20]

New Volvo Cars chief Stefan Jacoby on Wednesday vowed to do his best to make the company profitable.

He spoke to journalists at Volvo's Gothenburg headquarters before officially starting the job next Monday.

"We must find our right position and sharpen Volvo's roll, we must find our own way to position the company," Jacoby said.

The German-born former Volkswagen manager said he would learn to live with the different cultures.

"I have lived in Germany, Japan, the U.S. and Amsterdam, which are a cultural melting process. We all sit in the same boat. So we must feel similar," he said.

"Volvo is a global company and it must have a global appearance. I look forward to working in a multi-cultural environment here," he said.

Jacoby reportedly has bought a house in Gothenburg near the Volvo headquarters, indicating he sees a long-term future with the company.

In an interview with the Swedish news agency TT, Jacoby said he was convinced by Volvo's new president, Li Shufu, that Volvo would be independent from Chinese carmaker Geely in terms of marketing. Zhejiang Geely Holding Group completed the acquisition of Volvo Car Corporation from Ford Motor Company earlier this month.

"My job is to develop Volvo and that should be done independent from Geely," Jacoby said.

Born in Hannover in 1958, Jacoby studied economics in 1985 and then worked with Volkswagen. He has been in several senior positions in the German car company.