t was back in the mid 1970s when Volvo Cars of America began to realize it needed to move its car line upmarket if it hoped to survive in the North American marketplace. Unfavorable currency exchange rates, along with soaring labor and parts costs, were all increasing the company’s cost of doing business. Volvo’s sales volume was actually pretty good, but its profit margins were being squeezed. The company needed to begin making more profit on each car it sold if it hoped to survive and prosper. Volvo wasn’t alone; Saab-Scania USA would likewise move upscale with its EMS sport model and fancier “near luxury” trim levels. Opel had come to the same realization, but instead of moving upmarket, it decided to source its North
