SWINDON’S local Volvo dealership, Johnsons of Swindon, has played its part in securing the Swedish manufacturer’s highest overall UK sales figures for a quarter of a century, with 46,696 cars sold in 2016.

This is an increase of seven per cent upon 2015’s results, and demonstrates the quality and desirability of Volvo’s range of premium cars.

The V40/V40 Cross Country was the highest-selling model in the UK, with 16,491 being sold, followed by the ever-popular XC60, which sold 16,038 and the new XC90, which sold 5,801.

Matthew Coles, at Johnsons of Swindon, said: “With these figures in mind, we welcome customers to simply come in and have a chat with us, so we can recommend the right model that best matches their lifestyle and driving needs.”

The established XC60 remains incredibly popular among Swindon car buyers, but the figure for the new XC90 is especially significant, since the XC90 is the first model built on Volvo’s all-new SPA platform and powered exclusively by its ground-breaking Drive-E powertrains.

This strong UK performance helped Volvo Cars achieve a third consecutive year of record global sales, selling 534,332 cars in 2016.

Commenting on the sales performance, Jon Wakefield, the managing director of Volvo Car UK, said: “2016 was a superb year for everyone at Volvo.

“We sold more than 46,600 cars in the UK for the first time in 25 years and increased our market share – and with another exciting year of new technologically advanced and stunning Volvos coming in 2017, we’re confident this positive momentum will continue.”

For more information on the Volvo range, people can visit www.volvocars.com/uk or visit Johnsons of Swindon at Great Western Way, Swindon.