Let's see, if Cameron is a BMW, Obama is a?
Volvo Car publicly winced today about a leaked Labour Party plan that said a candidate needed to remake his image to win election as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
The Daily Telegraph broke a story about the 2006 plot – dubbed Project Volvo – designed to eventually replace Prime Minister Tony Blair with Gordon Brown. In it Brown was said to be viewed by voters as “humourless, dour, moody, aggressive, unapproachable.” Brown was characterized as a “Volvo, British Rover.”
Tory David Cameron – who ultimately became Prime Minister in 2010 – was dubbed a “Sports car, BMW.”
With tongue firmly in cheek, Volvo issued a statement that said, among other things, “Clearly before labeling the plot, Labour politicians of the time hadn’t acquainted themselves with the Volvo brand in the last decade with cars like the new S60 and V60 bringing a new dimension to the brand in terms of design and driver appeal.”
Peter Rask, Regional President of Volvo Car UK, Ireland and Iceland, said: “If only the Labour party had been like today’s Volvos – dynamic, agile and innovative – perhaps the UK economy would have been in a better place than it finds itself today!”
Well given this, it’s hard to say Volvo doesn’t have a sense of humor – er, humour. And it also sounds like Volvo doesn’t expect Labour to return to power any time soon…
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
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