TCC Reviews C70

The Car Connection recently reviewed the new Volvo C70 in Hawaii as they took it around the twisty's, to the sunny beaches and inland where it inexplicably rains almost all the time! They tested out the comfort of the new 4-seat configuration and if adults can really fit in the back as well as how the hard top works in all the conditions mentioned above. Check out the full story here as they are pretty fair reviewers from what I can tell and it gives some specs for the US crowd to ponder when the car arrives in April.

New S80 Confirmed!

Volvo has officially announced the new S80 sedan I posted about a few days back and the pictures were spot on!

Here are a few more for you to enjoy and if you want to read the full details then you can view the entire press release from Volvo here. Enjoy your Tuesday with the new sedan from Volvo! Heres hoping for an R version!

Volvo Truck Recalls

Volvo discovered recently that the inlet pipes on the EGR system may creak or break. If these pipes are note replaced or repaired components in the engine compartments may be exposed to the hot exhaust gases which may lead to a fire in the engine bay. Only two cases so far have lead to a fire in the engine bay while numerous cases have seen heat damage to engine components.

Volvo Trucks of North America will both inspect and replace any damaged parts and also install heat shields on all affected trucks. The job is said to take roughly an hour. All customers will be contacted by Volvo and any drivers noticing increased heat readings on their gauges or enlarged pipes while inspecting the truck should have the service performed immediately by a certified Volvo mechanic.

New Volvo S80 Shots...?

Perhaps. Not sure of the validity of these photos but thanks to fellow blogger thehollywoodextra.blogspot.com for some interesting reading and eye candy all the same.

According to the site the new S80 will come in the ever popular T5 as well as a possible new 3.2L inline 6 cylinder. There are rumors of a V8 version as well that has made the XC90 become even more of a seller. This engine lineup will help expand the current offerings and hopefully offer a high performance version for the flagship vehicle that was under powered in the old model. Maybe we will also see a AWD version although a V8 RWD Volvo sure would be hot!

Although as one commenter noted it does looks like a C70 rear with a S40 front fascia so these could be photoshopped but interesting all the same.

Volvo Ocean Race Editions

Volvo announced today there they will be introducing two tweaked models for the the rest of the year. The XC70 and XC90 VOR editions will have special Ocean Blue Metallic Paint as well as special rims to accent the exterior. Color matched side mirrors and chrome door handles will also adorn the outside of the vehicle while tinted glass that is standard on the VOR editions will hide the occupants. Inside the trend continues with taupe leather seats that are power and heated for the front passengers while all the leather seating surfaces are stiched in special contrasting thread to accent their beauty. The XC70 will come with a 208HP Turbocharged Inline-5 while the XC90 holds the larger 311HP V8 under its hood.

Both cars contain the AWD system from Haldex and the usual safety features found in all Volvo's will be present. Pricing options for the cars start at $40,735 for the XC70 and $48,860 for the XC90.

Full press release can be found here

VCOA Nationals

Volvo Club of America will return to the East/West national meet for 2006. They have selected two mountain resorts for the members enjoyment and it should be a good time for everyone involved.

The East Coast meet will be held in Lake Placid, NY on September 15-17th. The Lake Placid Hilton will serve as the meeting HQ, with rooms to spare if you book now. VCOA will also utilize the Olympic venues for many of the activities. Friday's reception will be held at the MacKenzie-Intervale Ski Jumping Complex, complete with athletes performing Nordic and Freestyle ski jumping. Saturday's car show will be held on the 1.25 mile speed skating oval on Main Street. Which, if your a Volvophile, should be an excellent time to view some great cars and hear their stories!

The West Coast meet will be held in Lake Tahoe, NV on October 6-8th . The Horizon Resort will serve as the meeting HQ along with rooms for guest and a full casino will be available in the hotel for those who get tired of all the Volvo action. Three action-packed days are planned with Friday's reception, Saturday;s car show and swap meet, and culminating on Sunday with an autocross. Again, another fantastic event that will not disappoint so make you reservations today!

Volvo Audio

Volvo designs all of its new Audio Systems in conjunctions with leader audio component manufactures to tailor the sound and acoustics for each vehicle it designs!

Interesting to note is that the worlds first RDS (Radio Data System) was introduced in a Volvo. As well as Dolby Pro-Logic Surround and its second generation interation Pro-Logic II. Danish audio supplier, Dynaudio, is the principle manufacture and cohort which Volvo works with to design precision audio systems for all the vehicles in the lineup. Interesting read as many consumers rank Audio performance in their Top 5 features when buying a new car.

Full text can be found here

Volvo Best in Interior Air Quality

An independent survey carried out by the Ecology Center in Detroit shows that the interiors of Volvo’s cars emit lower levels of toxic substances than other car makes.

According to a Volvo Press Release, Volvo cars have the lowest toxic emissions of new building material out of any car on the market. The Ecology Center recently presented a study of the toxic chemicals used in building car interiors. Flame retardant PBDE and phthalates, whose main use is as a softener in plastics, were included in the study. This material is the main building block of all dashes and most plastics within a car. It helps create malleable surfaces for help in constructing the dash as well as creating a soft to the touch feel instead of hard and shiny. These chemical substances can migrate from plastics and textiles, particularly at high temperatures. The car'’s occupants may thus be exposed to these substances after entering a car or even driving while outside temperatures are very hot. Certain types of phthalates and flame retardants can for instance promote genetic mutations and can subject car occupants to health hazards.

Full release can be found here

Forbes Reviews S40

Forbes recently reviewed the 2006 Volvo S40 and found the slight enhancements and tweaks to be spot on. Audio controls now come standard on all steering wheels (a welcome relief for my 2.4i brother and sisters out there im sure) as well as two new colors, Brilliant Blue and Electric Silver. Not much else to report on as the engine and transmissions remain the same as well as the standard options.

On a personal note, I drive a Black 2005 S40 and love it very much. I would highly recommend this vehicle to someone who is starting a family, recently married, likes cool looking cars but wants to stand out a bit more in the compact sedan segment. Also if you are looking at BMW 3-Series, Audi A-4, Saab 9-3, Mercedes C-Class, or ever the Lexus IS series you might want to stroll over to your Volvo Dealership to see what they have in store for you.

Full text can be found here

The US Supreme Court and Volvo?

Many of you may not realize this but Volvo, along with its car division, is one of the largest Heavy-Duty Truck suppliers in the US. You may have seen many "Tractor-Trailer" trucks carrying the Volvo badge and they are pretty prolific on the roads and highways. Apparently they are so prolific that a dealership sued Volvo NA over their competitive pricing practices.

After much deliberation the Justices voted in favor of Volvo 7-2 and Volvo also gained the support of the US Department of Justice as well as the Federal Trade Commission. The broad implications of such a ruling have impacts on every aspect of life in terms of pricing goods and services in a competitive manner to breed competition (which sounds good to me!). But also, should Volvo NA had been found guilty, the loss or restriction of a major supplier of Heavy-Duty Trucks in the US market would have put an unnessecary strain on the transportation infrastructure which is already going full bore to meet the demands of consumers. Below is the Press Release from Volvo.

Press Release-
U S Supreme Court supports Volvo Trucks North America in antitrust case

The United States Supreme Court yesterday issued a ruling in favor of Volvo Trucks North America in a dispute with one of its dealers regarding competitive pricing practices.

In its interpretation of the Robinson-Patman Act in the case of Volvo Trucks North America, Inc. v. Reeder-Simco GMC, Inc., the Court upheld and affirmed the practice of competitive pricing in the heavy-duty truck industry. The justices voted 7-2 in favor of Volvo. The case was initiated by a dealer who argued against Volvo Trucks North America's practice of evaluating specific potential truck sale transactions to meet specific competitive circumstances.

"Competitive pricing fosters competition by giving each seller the opportunity to respond to specific situations by offering lower prices to dealers in order to secure sales to end customers," said Peter Karlsten, president and CEO of Volvo Trucks North America. "The Court's opinion is a clear statement of the validity, fairness, and legality of pricing practices used throughout the heavy-duty truck industry, and in many other industries that rely on competitive, commercial sales policies. These practices create and foster competition that leads to lower prices not just for our customers, but for consumers of many other commercial goods."

Volvo's position in the case, which has broad implications beyond the heavy-duty truck industry, was supported by the U S Department of Justice and the U S Federal Trade Commission.

Volvo and Göteborg University Collaborate

Göteborg University and AB Volvo´s subsidiary, Volvo IT, have signed a collaboration agreement, through which the Volvo Group and the University aim to strengthen Western Sweden´s competitiveness in the IT sector.

Volvo IT and Göteborg University will set up a joint forum to manage activities resulting from the agreement.

“We will now have faster access to the new expertise that will help us solve concrete problems. At the same time we will be helping the University to prepare students for working life,” says Ulf Nilsson, Volvo IT’s CEO.

The agreement will increase opportunities for the University to tailor education courses to match employer requirements. Volvo IT will help students carry out and present studies that are needed by the Volvo Group. Mentors from Volvo will be made available for students.

The partnership will also make it easier to jointly apply for research financing and establish programmes for doctoral candidates working in industry while studying. (Source: Volvo Press Release)

S40 Racing?

Riley Racing announced that they will be campaigning a Volvo S40 T5 for the entire 2006 Speed World Challenge Touring Car season beginning in march with the season opener at Seabring Raceway.
The team is based out of Stamford Volvo in Stamford, CT and the car will be driven by Jameson Riley. Jameson drove the Volvo Factory team effort in the Speed GT for the past two years so he has plenty of Volvo Racing experience.

The vehicle that was selected was the S40 T5 with the support of Heico Sportiv NA. Heico will be the official technical partner for the racing season. Absolute B and Autosport Development will also aid in the creation of the S40 with chassis dynamics and race preparation work. In addition to the Speed TC season, Jameson will also drive for Heico in the 24 Hours of Nurburgring this June in Germany. It looks like another great season of racing ahead. See you all at the track!

Volvo XC90 and S40 Best Selling in China

Ford broke news today that its China sales grew 46% in 2005

The Best Selling Brands were Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln and Volvo. The Volvo XC90 and S40 were the best selling luxury models for the US automaker. Ford has been expanding it's dealership network in China and is up to 150 dealers by the end of 2005. (source: AP)

XC90 Top 10 Whiplash Protection

From Volvo NA News Room:

In tests of SUVs and pickups by the IIHS (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety), the Volvo XC90 is one of few models to earn top ratings for whiplash protection systems. The independent research and safety institute used crash test dummies to register loads on the neck during a simulated impact from the rear.
This is the first time the IIHS has carried out a dynamic test with SUVs and pickup trucks. The test was carried out in two stages. First, the seats were measured to determine the head restraints' geometry and to determine the preconditions for protecting the head of a person of normal height. Only seats with good or acceptable head restraint geometry went on to the second stage, the dynamic crash test. Here, a moving platform was used to simulate a situation where a car standing still was hit from behind by a vehicle of the same weight driving at 20 mph.
Only 6 of the 44 vehicles tested proved to offer effective protection against whiplash injuries. The Volvo XC90 was one of the best! The overall assessment includes both the seats’ measured geometry and the results of the dynamic test.

According to the IIHS, the key to effective protection is that the seat occupants' head and upper body should move in harmony during the collision sequence. The reason for whiplash injuries is usually that the head cannot keep up with the body as it jerks forward under the force of the impact. For this reason, the seat and head restraint must interact to support the head so that it accelerates together with the upper body. It is also important that the head restraint is sufficiently high and positioned close to the head.
“Volvo’s head restraint is designed in precisely this way,” explains Ingrid Skogsmo, Director of the Volvo Cars Safety Centre. “WHIPS, Volvo’s Whiplash Protection System that is fitted as standard in all new Volvo cars, is designed in such a way that it ensures both that the head and torso move together, and also that acceleration forces are limited.”

A Note about Volvo's Whipslash Protection System (WHIPS):
In Volvo’s Whiplash Protection System, the front seats and their headrests are designed to provide uniform support for the entire back and head during the collision sequence. In addition, a bracket fitted between the seat backrest and the seat cushion helps the seat to absorb the incoming energy, thus reducing the acceleration forces in a rear-end impact. This is done by the weight of the occupant’s body pressing the backrest rearward in a simultaneous horizontal and reclining position. This motion dampens the incoming forces rather like when a person catches a thrown ball, thus reducing the stress exerted on the occupant’s body. It also reduces the subsequent forward motion.

Evolved XC90

The L.A Auto Show is known for some of the wilder debuts in the US Auto Show Circuit due to its proximity to design studio's and aftermarket tuning companies prevalent in the area. The Evolve XC90 lives up to these wild expectations with a highly tuned V8 version of the SUV and style to match.

VCNA has teamed up once again with the Volvo Specialist, Evolve, to create a SUV specifically designed to appeal to the Car-Crazy Southern California market. This Ultra-Black XC90 V8 rides on a lowered sport suspension that is accented by large 22x9.5 Evolve E7 forged wheels. Low Profile Pirelli Scorpion Asimmetrico 295/30ZR22 tires wrap the highly polished rims and give the XC90 and aggressive stance. Hiding behind these massive rims are incredible 15-inch slotted front rotors clamped by 8-piston calipers with 13-inch rotors and 4-piston calipers in the rear.

Surrounding this black stallion is a custom one-off body kit (that may see production if enough interest is garnered...so contact evolve today if you want one!) includes new front and rear fascias, new rocker panels, larger fender flares, and signature Evolve grills which enhance this XC90's stealthy appearance. PIAA replacement bulbs help with nighttime visibility while cruising the boulevards and a healthy does of exhaust rumble from Evolve's Sport Exhaust System will alert all passerby's of XC90's presence.

Inside, the Evolve XC90 follows suit with eye-catching and stylish seating surfaces in a two-tone gray and black scheme with contrasting stitching. A larger Evolve steering wheel as well as Evolve custom pedals help the driver control the stealthy beast. The already existing 5.1 Dolby Surround Sound system is enhanced with two LCD Screens set in the front seat headrest.

Along with all of these incredible enhancements, the standard Volvo Safety Features are also onboard. In 2002, Volvo was the first manufacturer to offer Roll Stability Control (RSC) in an SUV and side curtain airbags for all three rows of seating. This XC90 is ready to cruise the boulevards as well as the track with such a sporty stance but also provides safety and protection for all travelers in is stylish interior. If you would like to have your very own custom XC90 then contact Evolve today!

Valkommen!

Hello All,
This is a new blog that I have created to bring you news, info, and other personal rants about my favorite swedish brand...Volvo. You will notice that the title of this blog is "I Roll" which many may not realize is translated Latin. The word in Latin is of course Volvo! The site address is AB Volvo in hommage to the first use of the word Volvo in branding automobiles back in 1927! I hope I can keep you all informed and amazed with what a wonderful and active brand Volvo has become in the US and the world. Thanks and take care!