S80 Executive Concept

Geneva, Switzerland - Volvo announced today at the Geneva Auto Show that there will be a new trim level on the S80 named the "Executive". This will include a body colored grill and chrome trim in the usual places as well as around the air intakes and fog lights to really set it apart from the regular S80's. You can also order the S80 with new 18-inch Balius wheels to enhance the already natural lines of the S80 and give it a more distinctive stance.

The interior also gets the executive treatment with fine leather and wood grain in the doors, center console and center tunnel to treat the passengers to a more refined living space while traveling. Extra thick carpets help are also included to comfort the feet of the weary traveler as they make the drive to their destination. For the rear seat passengers there is also the option to include a RSE system that includes two 7-inch LCD screens in the headrest with a DVD player, wireless headphones and a remote to control all the functions. There is also another video socket located in the rear to plug in a video game console, additional dvd player, video camera or even computer to play games or maybe do a little surfing in the back. The nice thing is that each screen can be controlled separately so each rear passenger can watch what they want to. It doesn't stop there though. There is an additional option to include a small fridge in the middle of the back seat to keep your drinks (from wine to juice boxes) cool or even food while traveling. The options don't end there as you can select either the 3.2L I6 or the new V8 engine to power the Executive S80.

This has really helped Volvo to become more of a luxury player than just pure safety and comfort. Hopefully we will see some of the more business (or kid) oriented buyers opt for this model to help the brand image overall and continue to enhances the Volvo brand as sporty, luxurious, and always safe.

Volvo Plant Now CO2 Free

Volvo recently announced that their Ghent, Belgium plant will now be Carbon-Dioxide free with the introduction of three wind-power generators and a biofuel production facility to power the Truck Assembly operations. The plant will now be able to make its own electricity and heating needs without adding to the net contribution of Carbon Dioxide in the atmosphere. Looks like its another win for Volvo and Mother Earth.

Now if we can only get some fun shirts like GM has with their Go Yellow campaign except they will be more relevant to the Go Green philosophy.

Volvo Robots Invade

In order for Volvo to create safe cars that are also rugged and outdoor oriented, the use of trailers for boats, camping, hauling gear, etc... has required Volvo to also test those loads to the vehicle's various systems. They wanted to create and test smooth shifting, high torque at low RPM, correct suspensions attributes (for while under load, getting the load to speed, and also without a load to create comfort in all conditions), and braking systems while under load. In order to obtain consistent results Volvo has decided to use Robot Drivers in their towing test vehicles. They even wanted to test what would happen should a vehicle accelerate too fast or too slow while under load to create the often dangerous situation of a loose trailer to the engineer's could design the systems properly. All of this to make you and those around you safer and more comfortable in a Volvo.

A new ISO towing standard was also based off of this testing methodology and Volvo's method is now the benchmark on which other methods are compared to. Just another feather in the hat for Legendary Safety Standards that are applied to all the vehicles in their line.

You can view the full release here.

Slow News...But Its Not Me!!

So its been pretty slow as of late but that is not due to your fearless leaders inhibition to find volvo news! Its just that Volvo has been pretty quite these past few weeks which is typical right before a product launch. They want reviewers to spend time with the new C70 and of course write good reviews so they are just biding their time. Basically its the same old story with the C70 that I have already written about a few times now so until something new and exciting comes along it will stay fairly quite around here.

Thanks for checking back and please continue to do so as I promise to continue to bring new and exciting coverage of the Volvo world.

Volvo Launches Worlds Most Powerful Truck!

Volvo announced today that they have completed testing on the new FH16 in Europe. The new engine, which took a large part of the SEK 300Million investment to complete is ready for the road. The new 16L engine passes Euro 4 and the next Euro 5 emissions standards and the most powerful of the group is the 660HP FH16.

Although this truck is Europe Only for now, the NA operations can expect to see this 16L behemoth on this of the pond very soon I'm sure.

Full press release here.

New Inline Six Reviewed by Green Car Congress

In exciting news that is always good for a car company to hear, Green Car Congress has reviewed the new 3.2L Inline-Six. According to the site the new engine increases output up to 235HP standard and torque is given a boost to 235Ft/Lbs. as well. Both significant increases over the previous model. But perhaps more importantly in these ties of gas woes the engine increase's its fuel sipping by 7% to roughly 24mpg!

All this combined in a small, lightweight package that will surely enhance saftey features during crash test is welcome news for Volvo as they set to Debut the S80 at the Geneva Show next month.

You can view the full article here.

January Sales Report

Volvo NA recently released the numbers from January. A 12% decrease! 8,881 units were moved compared with 10,160 for the same time period last year. S60 grew 7% while the XC90 remained on top with 2,390 units last month.

This could be caused by declining sales of the S80 as the new model has been announced with pictures and specs. Also the new C70 is due out in April so people could be holding off for that hot new model as well. At any rate, the future is certainly not bleak for Volvo NA and they should be posting nice 1st Quarter figures later this spring.

View full press release here.