Why Volvo

The XC60 is making its presence felt, with such cutting edge safety features I believe we will be seeing a lot more awards in the near future.

The New Zealand Automobile Association awarded the XC60 D5 the Large Crossover award of Motoring Excellence.  While in Spain the XC60 and XC90 received Spanish safety institute Centro Zaragoza’s “best safety choice” award.

That’s “Why Volvo”!

City Safety is standard

The Volvo S80L (Long) was launched in China on March 12th 2009.  The S80L is 140mm (5.5in) longer and packed with upgrades for the Chinese market.

Based on extensive research Volvo has tailored the S80L to the Chinese Market.  What did Volvo determine the Chinese market wanted? A limousine-like traveling experience.  So most of the  S80L upgrades are related to the back seat area.

• Back seat refrigerator
• Cup holders in the backrests
• Rear seat entertainment system
• Deeply padded leather seats.
• Rear heated seats
• Rear cigarette lighter

The refreshed 2010 S80 will  hit dealers in late spring.  The flagship S80 will be longer and have a wider stance giving the S80 a bolder attitude and an elegant allure .   The 2010 Volvo received some of the DNA changes defined in the XC60, like the larger Volvo icon mark and other interior refinements.

The Volvo S80 will be available in two chassis .  The standard chassis will provide a limousine like feel, while the sports chassis will sit lower and offer a firmer ride.

Going Diesel

The 2010 S80 will have turbo diesels:

• An entirely new twin-turbo five-cylinder 2.4-litre turbodiesel. The new D5 engine offers 205 horsepower.
• Also available is an Euro 4-compliant 2.4-litre diesel engine with 175 horsepower.

Volvo’s  Sports Sedan the S60 is getting a makeover in 2010.  Volvo has a lot of competition in this class with BMW, Audi, and even the American car makers making headway (e.g. The Pontiac G8).   The new S60 must be sleeker, quicker, and have some high tech bells and whistles.    I’m excited to see what Volvo will come up with.

Items featured in the 2010 Volvo S60 Concept (What will make it into the production model….only time will tell):

• Viking longboat headlamps.
• Cleaner lines inside and out.
• Car and pedestrian detection system.
• Adaptive cruise control
• Reduced CO2  emissions:

• high-efficiency GTDi (Gasoline Turbocharged Direct Injection) technology.
• Stratified combustion. The combustion chamber is designed such that a mist consisting of the optimal blend of air and fuel is formed around the spark plug, surrounded in turn by pure air. This allows the engine to operate with a surplus of air, thus cutting fuel consumption.
• Start/stop, a functionality that switches off the engine when the car is at a standstill.
• Powershift. Two manual gearboxes work in parallel, each regulated by its own clutch.
• EPAS (Electric Power Assisted Steering). In principle an “electric servo” where the conventional hydraulic pump has been replaced by an electric motor.
• “DRIVe-Mode”. Gives the driver the possibility of reducing fuel consumption via an “economy mode” that limits the function of a number of selected electrical or mechanical systems.
• Grille shutter. A wind-deflecting panel that can be closed to reduce air drag when there is less need for cooling air.
• Flat underbody panels.
• The use of lightweight materials in the car body.

For pics of the 2010 S60 concept go to the Volvo Newsroom.