Rising NBA Star Jeremy Lin Joins Volvo Cars Family

March 19, 2012, New York, USA - The Scandinavian luxury car brand, Volvo Cars, announced today that it has signed Chinese-American NBA (National Basketball Association) star, Jeremy Shu-How Lin, to a global brand endorsement contract, with focus on China, the United States, and Chinese-language markets in Asia. According to the cooperation agreement, over the next two years Jeremy Lin will participate in Volvo Cars corporate and marketing activities in his capacity as Volvo Cars Brand Ambassador. He will also appear in Volvo Cars advertising in these markets.

“Volvo Cars’ choice of Jeremy Lin as the company ambassador derives from our shared ethos of passion, dynamism and progressiveness,” said Mr. Freeman Shen, President of Volvo Cars China at the press conference. “This is a significant moment in the history of Volvo Cars’ brand rejuvenation, showcasing the new Volvo brand strategy Designed Around You with sportsmanship and intelligence. In this new era, Volvo Cars has set a vision of being the world’s most progressive and human luxury car brand, and we are determined to win the future. For our region, Jeremy Lin is the pride of the whole Chinese population, and we are excited to work with him.” “We believe Jeremy Lin’s character, intelligence, perseverance, and pursuit of excellence are perfectly in tune with Volvo car owners’ characteristics of appreciating smart understated luxury with a human touch,” added Mr. Richard Monturo, Vice President of Marketing, Volvo Cars Corporation, elaborating on the brand associations.

Jeremy Lin, the only NBA star with a Harvard degree, told the press conference, “It’s a great honor for me to be appointed as Volvo Cars Brand Ambassador today. You may not immediately see the connection between me and Volvo Cars. But both of us are striving to be better and smarter at what we do, and to do it our own way. I hope that my efforts will inspire more young people to follow their ambitions in sports and education, just like Volvo Cars is designing cars around people’s ambitions in life.”

Volvo Cars has organically integrated sports into its corporate and brand culture, with its joint sponsorship of the Volvo Ocean Race, and participation in winter sports, golf, and other sporting events. The Jeremy Lin endorsement is another milestone of Volvo Cars’ revival, and will duly help the company further enhance its brand image and business performance globally, especially in the strategically important markets of China and the United States.

In the Philippines, Volvo through its local distributor Viking Cars, Incorporated, has long acknowledged the values shared by the brand and the dynamism of basketball as early as 2007 when it signed on basketball star Chris Tiu. From the iconic pocket rocket Volvo C30 to the stylishly bold Volvo XC60, Tiu has continued his meteoric rise to be drafted in the Philippine national basketball team Gilas (meaning skill in Filipino), as well as be one of the country’s esteemed young television hosts and celebrity endorsers. Much like the Volvo he drives, his achievements are punctuated by his being impeccably styled, intelligently fascinating and giving off 100% dynamic performance in everything he does. “We’re really looking forward to welcoming Jeremy Lin into the Volvo team especially here in the Philippines where basketball is a major part of our culture and lifestyle,” says Loi de Guzman, Assistant Vice President for Marketing Services of Volvo Philippines.