Volvo Dealers Caught Installing Fake 'Bowers & Wilkins Speakers': Huge Scandal Erupts
The Swedish luxury carmaker Volvo is known for its high-quality, opulent, and safe cars. It is also known for offering one of the best quality audio systems from Bowers & Wilkins in its vehicles across the globe. Unfortunately, a new case from China has been reported in which a number of customers have complained that their cars have been fitted with fake Bowers & Wilkins speakers. Reportedly, some dealerships have been offering an optional “upgraded speaker system” for additional costs and fitting these vehicles with counterfeit parts.
Fake Bowers & Wilkins speakers in Volvo cars
Recently, a Volvo S60 luxury sedan owner in China reported that he received an “upgraded” speaker system as a promotional gift from a Volvo dealership. However, when this particular owner compared his car's audio system with other S60 models, he found out that there were some inconsistencies and differences in the audio output.
It was then discovered that many other Volvo owners on the Chinese social media platform Weibo also complained about the same issue. Additionally, reports from JoongAng Ilbo, a Korean newspaper, confirmed that multiple Volvo customers are facing this problem. According to these owners, fake Bowers & Wilkins speakers have been fitted into their vehicles.
They highlighted that counterfeit speakers were labeled as “Bowers and VVilkins.” Instead of using "W" for Wilkins, two "V"s had been used. Also, some speakers had been labeled “Bovvers and Wilkins.” Apart from these spelling mistakes, from the outside, these speakers look exactly the same. They have been designed to resemble the real 15-speaker B&W audio system.
Volvo’s crystal gear shifter also fake
Apart from the counterfeit speakers, some Volvo cars have been fitted with fake crystal gear shifters as well. The company sources its crystal gear shifter from Orrefors, which is a high-end brand. It was noted that the fake crystal shifters did not have backlighting, which is present in the real crystal gear shifter.
Volvo dealership’s response
When a customer with a car fitted with these counterfeit speakers went to the Volvo dealership, one of the representatives stated that the speakers were of good quality, despite them featuring a misspelled brand name. He added that he did not “speak English” and could not tell the difference between “W” and “VV.” Lastly, the dealership refused to replace the counterfeit parts.
Official response from Volvo
After the increasing complaints on Chinese social media platforms, Volvo China released a statement stating:
Volvo Cars is taking this matter very seriously. We attach great importance to this incident, and we deeply apologize for the trouble and inconvenience caused to our customers. Volvo Cars always stands with its customers. Together, we will never tolerate any behavior that harms the interests of users.
The company added that they will be launching a special investigation to determine the source of the counterfeit parts. Also, it has been stated that Volvo uses a strict full-link traceability management system for its original accessories. Additionally, the company will now increase its supervision over authorized dealers to prevent future fraud.
As per the reports, the counterfeit parts were not installed at Volvo’s factory. Rather, they appear to have been added at dealerships as an “optional upgrade.” As a result of this scam, the sales of Volvo cars in China have declined by 8.2 percent. There are speculations that other critical components, such as airbags, braking systems, or sensors, could have also been fitted with counterfeit parts.