Volvoapedia.org

Can This Volvo 960 Get More Fans Than A Porsche Panamera?

admin — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 18:22:47 +0000

Face Book is a great way to connect with old high school chums, ex-partners who gave you an STD back in ‘89, and car lovers. It’s also one of the most resourceful (and free) ways for a car company to promote their brand – via social media networking. Volvo (well, a Volvo fan who probably has no relation to the company) has taken a strike at luxury car maker Porsche – and started this group: Can this Volvo 960 get more fans than Porsche Panamera?

You see, a lot of people think Panamera is just plain hideous. And while 960 station wagons never won style awards, they were beautiful in their own late 90’s – early 2000’s way. As of 1:20pm EST today (Monday Feb 22nd) there are 581 fans for Volvo’s 960 station wagon and 5,182 fans for Porsche Panamera. Looks like it’ll be an upward battle between foreign car makers – with the help of Facebook & Twitter things will get ugly.

Volvo Rolls over 27 Viewers at Auto Auction

admin — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 14:24:02 +0000

Is Volvo doing its impression of a Toyota? Perhaps this car was having an identity crisis and thought it was a Camry. 27 viewers were injured earlier this week, when a Volvo 960 at Blue Ridge Auto Auction in Georgia abruptly shot foreword into the crowd. The 1995 model was up for grabs when the gas pedal reportedly stuck. No charges are being filed against the person behind its wheel.

“According to Gilmer County sheriff’s investigators, 27 of the 100 or so people in the crowded building were injured, six of which were airlifted to nearby hospitals. At least one patient reportedly remains in critical condition and three were treated for their injuries and released…The final cause of the accident is still under investigation, and police are saying it will likely be a few more days to determine whether or not the accelerator was stuck open”

Source: AutoBlog

2011 Volvo S60 – Swedish Made, American Looks

admin — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 21:25:06 +0000

As auto journalists at Jalopnik pointed out, the all new Volvo S60 looks…well it looks like a Buick. And hey may be right. 2011’s S60 has more curve then most previous Swedish made models, and the look of a GM model. Wait, is General Motors buying other makes? Oh no…no they are not. Guess it’s just a coincidence. But maybe not such a bad move? Why not look American when trying to sell in America.

Aside from its more angular curves the S60 engine options include two diesels and a gas powered. 2011’s Volvo has a high-performance 3.0-liter T6 with 304 horse power or a lesser 2.4-liter 205/2.0-liter 163 hp powerplant. “A DRIVe version powered by a 1.6-liter diesel engine with CO2 emissions of approximately 115g/km and fuel economy of up to 65.7mpg (combined cycle, preliminary figure) will join the range later in 2011.” S60 also includes all the favorite Volvo safety features, like Advanced Stability Control and corner traction control system.

Is This the Future Volvo Electric Car?

admin — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 19:29:41 +0000

A futuristic-looking sketch depicting what Volvo described as “a future Volvo electric car” surfaced during a presentation at an event by EnerDel, lithium-ion battery suppliers for the electric Volvo C30. The sketch was signed by one Stefan Jansson and is quite bold, with a menacing front end and over-sized wheels.

Dan Johnston, a spokesman for Volvo played down suggestions of anything resembling the final electric car design, saying the sketch is just that, a sketch.

“It’s just one of the designer guys in Sweden playing around,” Johnston told Insideline. “We won’t have an electric vehicle that looks like an electric vehicle. It won’t be like a Prius. You’ll see the continuation of [our] design language on the C30.”

However, seeing as though the Swedes were actually pressured by an excited public into building the C30 from that radical Volvo Safety Concept Car of 2000, there is no saying this won’t happen again with this sketch.

Via WorldCarFans

Volvo CEO Meets xkcd

admin — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 20:45:23 +0000

Who doesn’t like xkcd? Not only is it chock full of topical/geek humor, it also stars stick figures. Today, two characters track down Volvo’s CEO, asking some hard-hitting questions.

Fish on a Volvo – A Tabernacle Choir

admin — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 21:00:32 +0000

It may not be Brahms Concerto from the closing scene of There will Be Blood, but the Sashimi Tabernacle Choir is sure to be a hit with any Volvo driver. This Billy the Talking Bass inspired ride features a classic Volvo station wagon with an army of rubber fishes, lobsters and one temperamental conductor. Viral Video at its finest!

2010 – 2011 Volvo S60 Concept Comes to Life

admin — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:37:52 +0000

“Sculpted to move you” is the tag line for the future Volvo S60 Concept, which has finally been revealed in official photos by the auto maker. The 2010 (or 2011, as it seems the car won’t be released until later next year) sports something a bit fresh as far as a Volvo goes – smooth curves. The company known for its classic boxy cars is heading more and more towards a curvier design in its old age – and under new ownership with Geely.

Aside from a possibly hybrid variant, one of S60’s best selling points is the Pedestrian Detection System, which can detect pedestrians and apply brakes automatically, should the driver fail to do so quickly enough. It looks good, sounds good – but what will the final product look like? And will it sell?

Volvo Press Release: “The all-new Volvo S60 is sculpted to move you. It looks and drives like no other Volvo before and the car’s technology will help you to be safer and more confident behind the wheel,” says Stephen Odell, President and CEO of Volvo Cars.

The Volvo S60 can be equipped with Pedestrian Detection – a groundbreaking safety feature that can detect pedestrians in front of the car and brake automatically if the driver does not react in time.

The all-new Volvo S60 is being unveiled to the public for the first time at the Geneva Motor Show in early March next year. Production of the sporty sedan model will start in early summer 2010 at the Volvo Cars plant in Ghent, Belgium.

“Customers in this segment want emotional appeal, sporty design and dynamic driving properties. The S60 has it all. We are convinced that it will be one of the strongest contenders around,” says Stephen Odell.

Volvo – The Car For Today’s Tween Vampire

admin — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:27:47 +0000

Someone needs to remind Volvo that Tween’s don’t have drivers licenses. The auto maker is grabbing pre-teen attention with a huge sponsorship deal with the Twilight sequel: New Moon. Their website promotes tickets to see the film and asks “What Drives Edward?” – one of the films vampire stars. Apparently, the answer is blood. But what does Edward drive? A Volvo XC60, the fashionable, reasonable car for today’s undead.

We’re not exactly sure why Volvo wants to attract the 11-14 crowd. Maybe obnoxious children will get their parents to buy them new Volvo’s when they turn 16/17? We like what The Car Connection’s blog had to say: “As far as we can tell, the biggest tie-in between Volvo and Twilight seems to be that New Moon was shot in Vancouver, which looks a little like Sweden if you squint.” Regardless of why, Twilight is already a multi-million dollar film franchise, and brand recognition like this is something Volvo will undoubtedly take advantage of.

Volvo Trucks – Safest Ride on the Road

admin — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 19:06:55 +0000

Volvo Trucks North America presented two $25,000 checks during the American Trucking Associations annual convention in Las Vegas. The first winners of a new safety award program, the private fleet at Food City had zero recordable accidents in 2008 to win the under-10-million-mi. Pretty impressive!

“Both of these companies have taken the concept of safety and made it the foundation of their fleets,” said Scott Kress, VTNA sr. vp of sales & marketing. “Volvo is honored to recognize these companies and their employees, and to share our passion for safety.”
via Fleetowner.com

Volvo Coming Back to US Ownership…Wasn’t it Already?

admin — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 15:41:56 +0000

From Automotive News: LONDON (Reuters) — A U.S.-led group has entered the race to buy Ford Motor Co.’s Volvo cars unit, the Financial Times reported, in a challenge to China’s Geely Automotive, which last month confirmed its interest in the loss-making Swedish carmaker. A Ford spokesman said the group was in discussions with interested parties about Volvo cars, but declined to identify the parties or to comment on the timing of any sale.

Citing people close to the sale, the Financial Times said the Crown consortium had fully secured financing from U.S. private equity groups. But the consortium was also seeking additional backing from Swedish investors to signal its intent to keep Volvo in the country, according to the paper.

The Crown consortium is fronted by former Ford director and turnaround specialist Michael Dingman and former Ford and Chrysler executive Shamel Rushwin, the people told the Financial Times.
The paper reported another informed person as saying the U.S. consortium had offered significantly less than Hong Kong-listed Geely, but that both plans involved similar plans for more than $3 billion of additional investment in Volvo.

The FT quoted a person close to the sale saying Geely had offered just less than $2 billion for Volvo. Other media reports have put the price tag at around $2.5 billion.