In the Desi Race

Tom von Bonsdorffhas worked with Swedish carmaker Volvo Cars around the world, and currently as Managing Director of Volvo Auto India is based in Delhi. In a chat with Hi! Blitz he talks about the very first car he bought, the peculiarities that come with the Indian car market and what he loves the most about Delhi.

- Farhad J DadyBurjor

When did your interest in cars begin and which was your very first car?

I had a small white Range Rover toy car when I was five years old. I really liked it. The first car that I owned was a Saab 900… Swedish like Volvo.

You’ve worked with Volvo in several countries around the world—USA, Sweden, Finland. What have been some of the challenges you’ve encountered in settling in with the new cultures of these places?

All places are different, and that’s why I enjoy my work. Rather than challenges, I see it as a great privilege to meet and work with people in America, Europe and Asia.

So what would you say is Volvo’s USP over other car manufacturers?

Our most important value is safety. Volvo is a human-centric brand designing cars around people. Our current model line-up shows that we can do this, while still having the best designed cars in the market.

Are there any peculiarities that come with the Indian market vis-a-vis markets internationally?

The luxury segment is very small, only one per cent of the total car sales. Indians love their SUVs and sedans. India is also still very much a chauffeur driven market, especially in the luxury segment. But on weekends, people like to drive our cars themselves.