Volvo S40 In Autoblog Garage

The Volvo S40 is currently being reviewed by the Autoblog staff. Check out their latest info here.

The car under review is a silver S40 AWD T5 with Dura-tech seating. I have read a few and agreed with some things they point out but disagreed with others. You can see my comments under JS with of course a link back to your favorite Volvo site Volvo.Blogspot.com!

Refreshed XC90

First off, my apologies for not breaking this news sooner. But the Volvo XC90 will be getting a slight refresh for the 2007MY. Some of the changes included a refreshed headlight housing/front fascia (although nothing to terribly noticeable on first glance); Active Bi-Xenon headlights that will follow the road; Park Assist camera, which is basically a rear-facing camera that has become so popular in recent SUV's and Luxury cars; and the new BLIS (Blind Spot Information System)....why its not called BSIS is beyond me but im no "nameologist".

More importantly are the engines provided. The T5 will be phased out and the V8 reworked to be a slight bit more fuel efficient. The lineup will now be the new V8, the popular D5 that is gaining more recognition...although its not coming stateside, and the new V6 that was debuted along with the S80 awhile ago. This lineup will ensure that the XC90 stays ahead of the SUV market with such diverse options and I look forward to try out the new V6 when it comes later this year.

Full Press Release Here.

Volvo Buys Stake in Nissan Diesel

Volvo purchased 40 million shares, or roughly 13%, of the Japanese truck manufacturer Nissan Diesel. They have left open the option to purchase the remaining 6% of the shares within four years. This is an interesting transaction, but one Volvo views as strengthening their Asian presence for three reasons.

One is that as a major shareholder of Nissan Diesel, Volvo will have access to the Nissan Diesel dealer network and service centers for their existing trucks in the region. This will help reduce overhead cost of building Volvo service centers as the two can coexist now. The second reason is that Volvo can begin to work more with Nissan to help develop and distribute such items and engines and transmissions that will reduce cost for shipping and assembling Volvo trucks in the region. The third reason, and perhaps the most important for future operations, is that Nissan Motors, who owns 19% of Nissan Diesel, owns 50% of Dongfeng Motor Co. in China which is currently the largest truck builder in China. This opens the door for Volvo to capitalize on the Chinese market and introduce their Trucks, Heavy Equipment, and Transportation vehicles (read: buses) into a budding economy that is in transition and construction is moving at a very rapid pace. This seems like a smart more for Volvo to make and I look forward to seeing the results of this endeavor.

Volvo to Axe S60

There have been alot of rumors recently about Volvo axing the slightly aging S60 Sedan. The speculation comes in the form of the new S80 flagship. The S80 is growing larger, approx. 191 in. tip to tail, which distances itself further from the S60, while the S40 is rumored to grow to 177 in. overall when it is refreshed in 2010. The S60 comes in at 180 in. but because the new C30 will slot in below the S40 there is little room for the S60 to maneuver unless its gets a refresh along with its siblings. Although the fact that the S60 still sells around 60,000 units a year might make it hard for Volvo to axe such a great seller. Time will tell as I have learned to never try and guess what Ford's PAG is going to do...I mean they did just give Jaguar about a billion dollars to support themselves with although they are loosing money like a sieve so who knows.

My personal recommendation would to move the S60 up a few notches, to say 184 in. but keep the S40 light and small as that's what makes it a great seller now. Maybe move the S40 up a few notches as well to distance itself from the new C30 and for God's Sake make some more R cars!!! It appears that Volvo likes the new "sporty" image it has recently attained and in order to keep that it has to at least attempt to make more performance oriented versions to expand the line up and grab a larger market share. Volvo needs this larger market share if it hopes to hit 600,000 units a year by 2009. Best of Luck Volvo and I will be more than happy to test drive any new R iterations that you would like to make and of course give a fair, impartial review!

Ford to Build Volvo's in China

In a recent announcement from Automotive News (at 6am, sorry for the late breaking news but I wasnt up then!) Ford will apparently go ahead and assemble Volvo S40 sedan's locally in China. The assembly will take place in a Changan Ford Automobile Co. Factory as Ford is in a joint venture with Changan Automobiles 50-50 for producing vehicles in China (this is the way stuff is done over there....dont get me started on it, I was an international studies major focusing on economic policies with a minor in Asian/Chinese studies so im well versed in the ways of China's very strange economy).

Apparently Ford's China spokesperson denies that such movements are occurring but there are other sources, say the chairman of Ford of Europe, that say otherwise. Should find out very soon if this is truth or pure speculation as they plan to launch the Chinese built S40's towards the end of April.

Full article here.

Volvo S80 AAA Award Winner

The Volvo S80 won the prestigious AAA Award for Top Cars in 2005 in the $30,000-$35,000 segment. Pretty impressive for a bit of an aging flagship sedan and not to mention amazing that the current gen S80 can still win awards while its new iteration is storming show floors around the world and drawing large crowds to the exciting new design.

See the full article from AAA here.

New Volvo Hybrids

Volvo announced on March 10th that they will be supplying Hybrid DriveTrains to their heavy equipment industries by 2009. The setup will be diesel engines with battery systems for the hybrid part. The fuel savings are estimated at around 35% but in the heavy equipment industry when vehicles are run constantly this savings really adds up over the months and years. There is a downside though that the vehicles will cost on average, 35% more than their traditional counterparts. But Volvo says that within one to two years of using the new hybrid systems the increased purchase price for the vehicles will have already paid for itself in fuel savings. Expected sales are estimated to reach 10,000 units a year. There is also talk of making Biodiesel engines with battery hybrid systems as well.

This is another great step forward with Volvo keeping pace with both the economy in mind as well as the environment. Sounds like everyone wins. Read the full article here.