Under the changes, as Volvo seeks to increase its profile and sales, it is looking to leverage a more innovative approach. The move comes as Volvo prepares to finally launch its first full new car – the second-generation XC90 – to customers under the ownership of Zhejiang Geely Holding Group.

IHS Automotive principal analyst Ian Fletcher said: ‘There is certainly a strong argument for it having a more limited motor show strategy given the amount of the "media noise" created by all the OEMs and component suppliers in attendance can reduce the impact of any news released. Indeed, automakers are now resorting to holding preview parties on the evening prior to some of the larger events in order to get their message across. There is also an "arms race" in the amount of expenditure undertaken at these shows, particularly by the large German premium OEMs, which can result in millions and millions of dollars being spent for a single event and smaller automakers getting lost. Although attendance of these events is said to account for less than 10% of an undisclosed marketing budget, a debatable return on investment in cash and time is likely to have cemented Volvo's intentions.

‘This tangibility is also lacking through internet channels; for many, a car is one of the biggest financial commitments that they will make. Volvo has already undertaken some experimentation with online vehicle sales, with 1,927 units of a limited edition variant of the new XC90 successfully sold through this channel earlier this year in less than two days. However, many customers are unlikely to want to buy a vehicle without seeing it in the flesh first – whether that be at a motor show or at a dealership. Some customers also see visiting a dealer as a way of negotiating a better price for a new car than that on the official price lists.

‘It remains to be seen whether the changes that Volvo intends to make in the refocusing of its marketing budget will help to support the continued improvement in sales that it is looking for in future, as well as rebuilding its fortunes in the US, where it has been weak in recent.

‘For now, IHS Automotive expects Volvo's global sales to grow by around 4.5% year on year (y/y) during 2014. We also anticipate growth to continue into the second half of the decade, as more models built on the XC90's new SPA architecture come to market. However, we do not anticipate that Volvo will reach the targets that it had hoped for the end of the decade, and we currently see it reaching a peak during 2019 of 630,000 units, with the main gains coming from China as demand in North America significantly lags behind where it once was.’