In China, several Volvo owners are now reporting that their cars are equipped with what appear to be copies of Bowers & Wilkins, which are otherwise original factory equipment.
Volvo owners are complaining that their cars are equipped with fake Bowers & Wilkins speakers.
It all started when a Volvo S60 owner in China reported that he had been delivered a car from a dealer with what appeared to be a copycat.
Upon closer comparison with other S60 models, the owner discovered several 'irregularities' in the cabin of his own car.
After the customer's post on social media, it is clear that this is not a one-off fault in a single car. Other Volvo owners in China had also found speakers in their cars with brands such as "Bowers & Wilkins" or even "Bovvers & Wilkins".
For the same reason, Chinese owners are asking themselves whether their cars have been intentionally equipped with what appear to be cheap copycat products.
It is still unclear how many Volvo models are affected by the problem and whether all the cars were sold from and by the same dealer.
Volvo's Chinese branch subsequently issued a statement on the social media Weibo on February 12th.
In the statement, Volvo regrets the inconvenience and inconvenience experienced by customers. Volvo emphasizes that the car brand 'always stands on the side of customers' and will never tolerate behavior that harms the interests of drivers.
Volvo has now launched an investigation to find out where the apparently copycat speakers come from.
According to the Chinese media outlet Sohu, the speakers are labeled "Bowers & Wilkins" (note the two "Vs" instead of a "W", ed.).
If it's not a typo, it indicates that the cars are not equipped with a genuine Bowers & Wilkins 15-speaker sound system.
In addition, Volvo's 'crystal' automatic transmission selector lacks the light that is usually included in the best-equipped models. This also surprises Chinese owners.
When the S60 owner, who initially complained about the problem, went to the dealer, the whole mess only got further complicated.
The dealer allegedly doesn't speak English and therefore can't distinguish between "VV" and "W". For the same reason, the dealer denies that there is anything wrong with the car. In fact, the dealer believes that the speakers 'still sound good'.
However, this has not stopped the debate and Volvo's apparent copycat equipment.
Bowers & Wilkins is known for its sound systems, so the owners who discovered the 'spelling errors' believe the matter should be investigated further.
It is still unknown what consequences the case about the suspicious speakers will have. But for Volvo it is especially bad news. At home in China, sales fell by 8.2 percent in 2024 compared to 2023. This, even though last year was actually a record year for the former Swedish brand.
