As part of the OSD program, consumers are offered special pricing incentives, 2 roundtrip tickets to Sweden, a night's hotel stay in Göteborg, Sweden, European vehicle registration with 15-day insurance, & insured return-shipping of the car to a local Volvo dealer of choice. There are over a dozen vehicle dropoff locations & return flights can be arranged from nearly any airport. Vehicle dropoffs in Göteborg, Sweden & Bremerhaven, Germany are free, while dropoffs in other cities have surcharges that range from nominal (US$100/Brussels) to costly (US$1,000/Paris).
Responding to questions about costs: the vehicle cost $1,500 below invoice as equipped, where much of the savings resulted from a promotion offering the sale of the 2005 model at the 2004 pricing. The airfare, hotel, registration, insurance, European roadside assistance, full tank of gas, use of the Europe dvd for the nav-system & insured return-shipping were all complimentary. For business owners, there are also certain tax benefits in purchasing a qualified SUV. Since I'm not a licensed tax professional, however, I'd recommend consulting a tax specialist about the wonders of American tax law.
If anyone's interested, can provide a glowing review of the XC90 (ie, clean design, performance, ultra low emissions vehicle & decent gas mileage, exceptional navigation system, good sound system, comfortable ergonomic seating & huge storage area) as well as further details of my OSD experience: email.
Stay awhile & enjoy this little travelog of our 3.5-week roadtrip thru Europe, including stays in Sweden (Göteborg), Denmark (Copenhagen), Germany (Berlin & Munich), Czech Republic (Prague), Switzerland (Mont-Pélerin), France (Dijon & Paris) & the Netherlands (Leiden):
Sweden:
Volvo's OSD program includes 2 roundtrip tickets on SAS Scandinavian Airlines and, for the layover in Chicago, 2 passes to recoup in the SAS executive lounge in terminal 5. The SAS executive lounge was well-appointed, has complimentary internet connection, plenty of reading material, refreshments (including mineral water, juices & a comprehensive alcohol selection from beer, single-barrel whisky, cognac to wine) & a healthy array of snack food (cold cuts, fresh breads, fruits, nuts & cheese tray).
SAS seating was adequate, although it's odd that the armrests don't fully recess into the seats. The headrests were ergonomic & the entertainment system helped make the long flight more pleasant (each seat has a headrest monitor & remote control/keypad for music, movies or arcade games).
On October 5, 2004, we arrived in Sweden & were greeted by Hans, a private Volvo driver. After Hans loaded our bags in an XC90, he drove us to the SAS Radisson in the center of Göteborg:
After a brief walk around town, we dined at Källarkrogen, a nearby restaurant serving traditional Swedish fare (20 Östra Larmgatan, Göteborg):
After a Swedish buffet lunch (with more herring), we were treated to a factory tour. During high-season, 5,000-9,000 visitors tour the factory daily and, during low-season, about 200 visitors daily. On this low-season day, our small group of about 20 arrived just as a class of local students were leaving.
The tour begins with a short video presentation in a small theatre (a commercial really), followed by an hour trolley ride through the production plant. No photos are allowed & cameras, coats & bags are checked-in before entering the plant. The tour is technical with an emphasis on research & design of a safer, stylish car (the XC90 was designed & developed almost exclusively by women). In addition, some interesting observations are how young the workers are (in their 20s), the large ratio of female to male workers, the safe & highly organized work environment and the fact that each Volvo is produced to order so that finished vehicles come off the line in random order with no distinction as to model, color or options.
After the factory tour, we were on our way to Malmö to cross the Oeresund bridge/tunnel to Copenhagen, Denmark for the night.
