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Report: 2012 Volvo S60 to get updated turbo five-cylinder as base engine

Filed under: Sedan, Volvo, Luxury

2011 Volvo S60

2011 Volvo S60 T6 AWD – Click above for high-res image gallery

It seems that the Volvo S60 is set to get a wee bit less naughty for the 2012 model year as the Swedish automaker rolls out a base model for the American market. Sure, we’ve sampled the 2011 edition and were mostly impressed by the safety-first company’s latest effort, but so far, only the range-topping S60 T6 model with all-wheel drive (shown above) has been available.

While Volvo has yet to offer up all the details of what’s in store for 2012, a document from the Volvo Overseas Delivery program managed to make its way online, and it leads us to believe that the base engine for the S60 will indeed be a turbocharged five-cylinder as before. The good news is that the workhorse mill, otherwise known as the T5, has been upgraded a bit for its new duty, reportedly putting out 250 horses rather than the 227 currently on offer.

In related news, the same documentation indicates that the cost for a new S60 using Volvo’s overseas delivery program will be $29,880. Expect the U.S. MSRP to be somewhat (though not substantially) higher. In addition to the T5 engine, that will net you a front-wheel drive S60 without the T6’s Dynamic Chassis, speed-sensitive steering or leather seats (Volvo’s T-Tec upholstery will be standard). Want to know more? Hit up the Kilometer to see the full leaked document.

Gallery: 2011 Volvo S60: First Drive

2011 Volvo S60

Photos copyright (C)2010 Chris Paukert / AOL
[Source: Kilometer Magazine]

Report: 2012 Volvo S60 to get updated turbo five-cylinder as base engine originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 13 Oct 2010 16:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Volvo mulling sub-S40 sedan, BMW X1 rival

Filed under: Sedan, Crossover, Volvo

2011 Volvo S40 Now that Volvo is no longer a part of Ford Motor Company, change is inevitable. The Swedish automaker can no longer rely on Ford to supply low-cost global platforms or new powertrains in the future, so that future may include fewer platforms and better model distinction. AutoWeek reports that Volvo will soon go from three platforms to two by adding some new models and taking away some others. On the chopping block are the S40 sedan and V50 wagon. Both have sold reasonably well, but they are reportedly too close in size to the new S60 to be retained. The V70 station wagon will cease to exist after the 2011 model year.

Doug Speck, CEO of Volvo Cars of North America, tells AW that a new vehicle is being considered that will be smaller than the S40. It would do battle against heavy hitters like the BMW 1 Series. The small sedan’s all-new platform could also spawn a compact crossover to take on the likes of the BMW X1. Speck cites the feverish growth of the small luxury crossover segment as the main motivating factor to adding a smaller stablemate to the XC60 and XC90. In the short term, the larger S80 and XC90 will also be redone, better positioning Volvo to win sales in China, where large luxury rides are in high demand.

Speck also set expectations for S60 sales in the U.S. Volvo hopes to sell 15,000 to 25,000 copies of the attractive new sedan annually. Volvo sold only 5,895 copies of the outgoing S60 in 2009, though the last-gen model, which first sold way back in 2001, was very long in the tooth.

[Source: AutoWeek]

Report: Volvo mulling sub-S40 sedan, BMW X1 rival originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 03 Oct 2010 14:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Volvo suffers another auto-stop safety system failure in public fashion

Filed under: Sedan, Wagon, Safety, Technology, Videos, Volvo, Australia

Volvo V60 Pedestrian Detection failure

Volvo V60 Pedestrian Detection test failures – Click above to watch the videos

Volvo’s new Pedestrian Detection with Full Auto Brake is under scrutiny after a series of demonstrations for journalists in Australia went awry in rather spectacular fashion. During the presentation, an inflatable test dummy was mowed down after the system failed to detect its presence in time to stop. This, despite the fact that the technology was showcased under controlled conditions. The optional hardware, which debuts on the 2011 S60 and V60 wagon, utilizes both radar and camera technology to avoid or mitigate an accident with a pedestrian by automatically slowing the vehicle to either a full stop or at least initiating full braking to lower the rate of impact (Volvo: “The system can avoid a collision at speeds up to 22 mph. At higher speeds, the focus is on reducing the car’s speed as much as possible prior to the impact”).

Volvo officials themselves cautioned… that the system may not always detect the dummy’s presence.

According to Aussie motoring website Car Advice, journalists at the demonstration were told by a Volvo spokesperson that the system may have been ‘confused’ by a tractor-trailer parked around 30 meters behind the dummy, but the subsequent removal of the big rig still saw two more failures resulting in impacts. According to the same report, Volvo noted that “around 650 media participated in the week-long demonstration – with a claimed 99.7 per cent success rate – the nature of the failed 0.3 per cent of runs appears to be undisclosed.”

Autoblog had the chance to sample this system firsthand at the Oregon launch of the S60 earlier this month in similar parking lot tests with different dummies. It performed as-advertised for us, though a few other journalists did record failures of their own – though those lapses were evidently at least partially exacerbated by the drivers giving-in to their instinct to tromp on the brake pedal. Interestingly, Volvo officials themselves cautioned us in advance that the system may not always detect the dummy’s presence, in part because it doesn’t mimic the behavior of a human (the Pedestrian Detection system is trained to look for human movements – arms swaying, legs moving, and so on). In fact, when we asked if the system would also detect and activate when animals are in the road, officials said that the safety feature has not yet been trained to do so – it is only capable of registering bipeds.

As you may recall, this is not the first failure of Volvo’s new auto-stop impact avoidance systems. Back in May, we told you about another incident in which an S60’s City Safety auto-brake system test resulted in the car plowing into the back of a semi truck. Volvo would apparently later state that the crash was caused by a ‘low-voltage event’ in the car’s electrical system that turned the rear-impact avoidance system off, a flaw that has since been repaired.

Follow the jump to watch videos of the PSD failures as well as an official Volvo video explaining how the system is designed to work.

[Sources: Car Advice, YouTube]

Continue reading Video: Volvo suffers another auto-stop safety system failure in public fashion

Video: Volvo suffers another auto-stop safety system failure in public fashion originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 27 Sep 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Volvo reveals S60 and V60 R-Design models ahead of Paris debut

Filed under: Sedan, Wagon, Europe, Paris Motor Show, Volvo, Luxury

2011 Volvo S60 R-Design

2011 Volvo S60 R-Design – Click above for high-res image galery

Volvo has been so kind as to give us an inkling of what to expect from the company when it arrives at this year’s Paris Motor Show. The Swedish carmaker will display new R-Design versions of both the S60 sedan and the V60 wagon. According to the press release, both cars will receive the usual go-fast treatment, starting with a few aesthetic changes outside. The R-Design cars will wear a more aggressive fascia up front, unique 18-inch alloys, revised sports seats inside and a few suspension tweaks to help everything stay planted through the twisties.

That means firmer bushings all the way around, a strut-tower brace up front and lower, stiffer coils on all four corners. The icing on the cake is a new corner traction control system that uses a torque-vectoring system to make for smoother cornering, a compelling feature that we just tested on the plain-jane S60 T6 all-wheel drive. Don’t look for any extra horsepower under the hood, though. Volvo has left the usual array of engines completely untouched. Both the R-Design S60 and V60 will debut at the 2010 Paris Motor Show next month. Hit the jump for the full press release.

Gallery: 2011 Volvo S60 R-Design

[Source: Volvo]

Continue reading Volvo reveals S60 and V60 R-Design models ahead of Paris debut

Volvo reveals S60 and V60 R-Design models ahead of Paris debut originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 21 Sep 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First Drive: 2011 Volvo S60

Filed under: Sedan, Performance, Volvo, First Drive, Luxury

Not The Naughtiest of Volvos, But Definitely Up To Something

2011 Volvo S60

2011 Volvo S60 T6 AWD – Click above for high-res image gallery

Volvo has been gearing up the promotion machine for its new S60, and it’s taking an unusual tack, referring to the Swedish automaker’s latest sedan as the sportiest and “Naughtiest Volvo Ever.” This, of course, may seem a bit like proclaiming that Greg was the rebel in the Brady Bunch. It might have been true, but the Swedish automaker’s lineup hasn’t exactly been fraught with the sort of characters that your parents warned you about, has it?

If this S60 is ‘naughty,’ it’s probably in the same way that going to prom with your mother is ‘naughty.’ It’s wrong, certainly… particularly for the couple sharing your limo. It might even be a bit dangerous – for your social life – but at the end of the day, the core wholesomeness of both mothers and Volvos can’t be denied, right?

Well, perhaps not. After all, although it was developed under the Ford umbrella, this new S60 comes to market with new ownership (China’s Zhejiang Geely Holding Group) and new leadership (former Volkswagen of America head Stefan Jacoby). And that is some rather sexy sheetmetal – particularly when it’s slathered in such an assertive paint color. But what’s going on beneath the skin? You’ll have to follow the jump to find out.

Gallery: 2011 Volvo S60: First Drive

2011 Volvo S60

Continue reading First Drive: 2011 Volvo S60

First Drive: 2011 Volvo S60 originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 20 Sep 2010 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Geely-owned Volvo seeks €600 million EIB loan

Filed under: Europe, Government/Legal, Volvo, Earnings/Financials, Geely

2011 Volvo S60

2011 Volvo S60 – Click above for high-res image gallery

Volvo received a €200 million loan from the European Investment Bank in March of this year, and sought another €300 million to cement its finances as it navigated the process of being sold by Ford. The rest of the funds were put on hold as Ford concluded the deal with China’s Geely, but now that the sale is complete Volvo is ready to take delivery of the additional sum.

Geely-owned Volvo has revised its product timeline compared to when when it first applied for EIB assistance, however. As a result, it now seeks €600 million. At the moment, the process is on hold while Geely discusses loan guarantees with the Swedish government, but perhaps that extra dosh – assuming it’s approved – will help pay for Volvo’s 7 Series and S-Class competitor.

Gallery: 2011 Volvo S60

[Source: Reuters]

Geely-owned Volvo seeks €600 million EIB loan originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 11 Sep 2010 14:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Heico Sportiv adds aggression to new Volvo S60 [w/video]

Filed under: Aftermarket, Sedan, Videos, Volvo, Luxury

Heico Sportiv reworks the 2011 Volvo S60 – Click above for high-res image gallery

We got a glimpse of it not long ago in renderings, now Heico Sportiv has taken its retuned 2011 Volvo S60 to the track and brought us some souvenirs of the day. Changes are restrained yet aggressive outside, with added front lip components and a rear diffuser that wraps around four tailpipes, in addition to a set of attractive gunmetal Volution wheels.

Under the hood is where the real oomph resides, with power outputs hitting the 297 horsepower and 258 pound-feet in the 2.0T, and 330 hp and 339 lb-ft. in the T6. In the T6 model, that will get you from naught to 62 miles per hour in 5.8 seconds. Follow the jump for all the details and to see it in motion, and have a look at the gallery of high-res photos below.

Gallery: Heico Sportiv 2011 Volvo S60

[Source: Heico Sportiv]

Continue reading Heico Sportiv adds aggression to new Volvo S60 [w/video]

Heico Sportiv adds aggression to new Volvo S60 [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 19:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Volvo’s new chairman wants 7-Series, S-Class rival

Filed under: Sedan, China, Volvo, Geely, Luxury

2011 Volvo S60 – Click above for high-res image gallery

Geely isn’t wasting any time in shaping up its newest acquisition’s product line. The Chinese automaker officially completed its deal to purchase Volvo from Ford earlier this week, and already the Swedish brand’s new chairman is making noises about a new large luxury sedan to go toe to toe with the likes of the BMW 7 Series and Mercedes-Benz S-Class. Li Shufu, Volvo chairman and co-chair of Geely, said that the brand already competes with luxury German carmakers in most markets, but lacks all of the hardware to do so effectively. To remedy the problem, Li wants to put the rush on a new saloon to take the fight to the Bavarians.

According to the Financial Times, Volvo repeatedly ran into roadblocks when it attempted to develop a large four-door under Ford. Evidently the Blue Oval was concerned about a long-wheelbase Swede nabbing sales from Jaguar – another brand Ford owned at the time. A new Volvo sedan is far from a done deal, though. Li says that the thought of a range-topping sedan is his, and he’ll have to convince the company’s new board to give it the green light. With an ambitious goal to double Volvo to 600,000 units in five years primarily through growth in large-car loving China, a D-segment player sounds like a good bet – at least for select markets.

Gallery: 2011 Volvo S60

[Source: Financial Times – reg. req.]

Report: Volvo’s new chairman wants 7-Series, S-Class rival originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 04 Aug 2010 13:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2007-2010 Volvo S80 recalled for tire-pressure monitoring system

Filed under: Sedan, Recalls, Safety, Volvo

The ever-conscious safety fanatics at Volvo have realized it’s unwittingly made a mistake on their 2007-2010 S80 sedans. It seems that the maximum permissible tire pressure information was printed incorrectly in the owner’s manuals and on the sticker pasted to the vehicles’ door jams. Worse, that same incorrect inflation data is hard-coded into the cars’ tire-pressure monitoring systems.

Volvo claims that it has never received any complaints on the issue and that it found the problem on its own. Naturally, though, the Swedish automaker is keenly interested in getting the problem rectified and will replace the incorrect manuals and stickers, and update the S80’s software to correct the tire-pressure monitoring system.

We’ve posted the recall information from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration after the break. Owners are urged to call Volvo at 1-800-458-1552 or email customercare -at- volvoforlife.com for further information.

[Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration via Kicking Tires]

Continue reading 2007-2010 Volvo S80 recalled for tire-pressure monitoring system

2007-2010 Volvo S80 recalled for tire-pressure monitoring system originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 02 Aug 2010 16:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Volvo sale to Geely to close next week?

Filed under: China, Europe, Volvo, Earnings/Financials, Luxury

Volvo may finally part ways with Ford by the end of next week. The Detroit Free Press reports that the Blue Oval is aiming to close its $1.8 billion sale of the Swedish automaker to Geely in as little as 10 days, though Ford has merely said that its goal is to hand over the Volvo reigns by the end of the third quarter of this year. The move to send Volvo packing is part of Ford CEO Alan Mulally’s strategy to slim the company down to focus on its core brands – a scheme that seems to be working so far.

In the meantime, Volvo managed to turn a profit of $53 million before taxes in the second quarter of this year. The news is a big leap from the same time last year – in the second quarter of 2009, the brand lost a heady $237 million. Ford’s sale of Volvo seems to have been on glacial pace, partly due to the number of government agencies in the U.S., Europe and China that were needed to sign off on the deal. By the time the ink dries on the last document, Geely will have secured the largest overseas acquisition of any Chinese automaker so far.

[Source: The Detroit Free Press]

Volvo sale to Geely to close next week? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 29 Jul 2010 16:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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