There are drawbacks to being the property of a larger conglomerate, to be sure, but there are also benefits. Taking advantage of group buying power, shared developments costs and synergies with products from other divisions, for instance. And these are things that, since splitting off from Ford a couple of years ago, Volvo does not have at its disposal any longer.
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The first quarter of 2012 will see the introduction of the Volvo C70 with the Inscription package. The Polestar-modified hardtop droptop carries a $3,900 premium above the four-seater’s $40,450 MSRP and is “exclusive to the North American market,” although exclusivity in this case appears to mean we get 500 of the car’s 2,000-unit global volume.
Those 39 Benjamins will get you 250 horsepower and 273 pound-feet (a gain of 23 hp and 37 lb-ft); aluminum sport pedals; new leather for the seats, dash and some trim; plus 18-inch wheels, a spoiler, and a black grille. Ice White and Black Sapphire Metallic will be your only color choices. Have a closer look at the swanky Swede in the gallery of high-res photos, and there’s a press release after the jump. Read More »
It’s been 50 years since Volvo introduced the P1800, and the Swedish automaker has chosen to mark the occasion by releasing a few sketches of what a modern interpretation of the sports coupe would look like. Christopher Benjamin, chief designer with Volvo, just so happens to be a big fan of the P1800 and worked up the sketches as part of a Twitter chat with fans of the brand. Needless to say, the sketches have created a serious stir among the Volvo faithful, but the company has made it clear there are no plans to bring a modernized P1800 to market. Read More »
Volvo doesn’t have a big presence at the LA Auto Show, but the Swedish automaker did manage to roll out a new special edition model for our edification. The C70 Inscription is a new trim limited to only 2,000 units worldwide. The Inscription will be available in the U.S. with Volvo’s T5 five-cylinder turbo delivering 230 horsepower. Other markets will feature a pair of diesel offerings in 150-hp and 177-hp flavors.
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Volvo has announced that it will cease production at the company’s joint-venture plant with Pininfarina Sverige in Uddevalla, Sweden, according to Ward’s Auto. That means manufacturing of the C70 convertible is without a home.
As of right now, Volvo isn’t saying where, if anywhere, production of the C70 will head next. In the meantime, the 600 workers currently employed at the Uddevalla plant are being offered positions elsewhere in the company. If the C70 doesn’t find a new production home, it will join models like the S40 and V50 as another discontinued Volvo for 2012. Read More »
Word has it that Volvo is once again aiming for top-tier status. Automotive News China is reporting that the Swedish automaker has outlined a slew of new goals that include hitting annual sales of around 800,000 units, becoming the best employer worldwide and doing battle with the likes of BMW, Audi and Mercedes-Benz. If that’s not ambitious enough for you, the brand wants to make it all happen by 2020. The news came courtesy of Freeman Shen, Volvo senior vice president, who made the comments in a speech about the company’s future.
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The Volvo XC90 has always been a strong seller, and apparently the Swedish automaker sees no reason to rock the boat with a full-scale retooling of the luxury crossover. Still, that doesn’t mean an update wouldn’t breathe a bit of fresh air into the XC90 – and by our clock, it’s (over)due for a freshening, as the segment stalwart is entering its ninth year of production. Volvo has done just that for the 2012 model, and both the exterior and interior get a few tweaks to bring the styling up to par with the rest of the market.
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