Ford has decided to terminate any rumors concerning the sale of Volvo -at least for the time being. “Our plan now is not to sell Volvo but to improve its cost structure and brand positioning,” said Ford CEO Alan Mulally, "I think we can do substantially better than where we are today.” On the other hand however, Mulally declined to rule out a future sale, saying Ford would “continue to review its brand portfolio.Via: Autonews (sub. Req.)
Volvo will celebrate its 80th anniversary at this year’s U.K. Classic Motor Show, held at Volvo Cars Heritage displays the following cars:
Volvo PV655 Norrmalm drophead coupe 1933: A magnificent one-off, generally considered to be the world’s most beautiful Volvo.
Volvo 445 Valbo convertible 1953: Built on the 445 light truck chassis, this is one of five survivors out of 10 originally built.
Volvo Sport 1956: Often referred to as the P1900 this nice sportscar with its original plastic body carries chassis number 1.
Volvo 122S Amazon Coune convertible 1963: The only rolling example of the five open Amazons built by Belgian carrossier Jacques Coune.
Volvo 480 convertible prototype 1990: One of the two prototypes built by Volvo Car B.V. as design and feasibility studies.
The Volvo Owners Club displays:
Volvo PV36 “Carioca” 1936: Only 500 were built of this streamlined pre-war Volvo and this is the only one in the
Volvo 1800S 1965: The winner of several councours awards, this is one of the best 1800s in existence and it is still in regular use.
Volvo 780 Bertone coupe 1990: Designed and built by Bertone in
Volvo is brining the customized C70 Caresto which we first showed you back in April (click here), at the 2007 SEMA Show. The C70 Caresto Edition, which is inspired from the vintage-styled Caresto T6 Roadster and V8 Speedsters, shown by Volvo at the 2005 and 2006 SEMA Shows, respectively, is the work of specialist car builder and customizer Leif Tufvesson. The Caresto edition features a new front and rear-end, a new interior, 20-inch alloy rims, sports suspension and a two-tone blue paint job. Additionally, Leif used a BSR PPC tuning system to upgrade Volvo’s five-cylinder turbo engine from 220 hp to 278 hp and torque from 320 Nm (236-lbs/ft) to 441 Nm (325-lbs/ft). -Details and images after the jump
Press Release: The Caresto V8 Speedster brings its posh new C70 cousin along to SEMA
The Caresto V8 Speedster makes a comeback at the 2007 SEMA Show in
"The Speedster is a dream car that few people can afford, while the new C70 is the affordable distant relative. Two very different cars, but put them next to each other and you see that they dropped from the same family-tree," says specialist car builder and customizer Leif Tufvesson.
Leif Tufvesson is one of
He is the man who built the Caresto T6 Roadster and V8 Speedsters, shown by Volvo at the 2005 and 2006 SEMA Shows, respectively, in
Inspired by the Speedster, Leif has put his own personal touch to Volvo's hardtop convertible with a new front and rear, a new interior and a beautiful two-tone blue paint job.
Shared colors and design cues
"I have used a lot of the same color combinations and design cues to make the C70 an attractive cousin to the Speedster. The C70 has been exhibited at a Swedish show and it was a great success," says Leif Tufvesson. He continues:
"Thanks to its already stunning looks, the C70 was a rewarding customizing object. My job was to refine the looks and make the car more personal. The idea is that this C70 should satisfy all Volvo's functional and safety requirements. In other words, it demonstrates what an individualized C70 might look like."
Leif used a BSR PPC tuning system to give the five-cylinder turbo engine a hefty vitamin injection. Power is up from 220 hp to 278 hp and torque has increased from 320 Nm to a massive 441 Nm.
The inlet pipes are made of polished aluminum and the engine cover is made of carbon fiber. Leif also used an Optiflow sport air filter.
The V8 Speedster still shines
The Caresto V8 Speedster also shines bright on the Volvo stand at SEMA.
The V8 Speedster, a mid-engine car with an ethanol-powered Volvo V8 powerplant, initiated the playful term "Sportrod" last year when it had its premiere public outing at the 2006 SEMA show.
"Actually, it's a sports car with a design idiom that is a further development from a classic Hotrod. My idea was to build a car that was as much fun to drive as it was to look at. Since driving dynamics have never been the hallmark of traditional Hotrods, the term "Sportrod" felt pretty good," says Leif Tufvesson.
The car is designed with just this in mind - excellent roadholding with an ideal 60/40 weight distribution. The V8 Speedster is built completely of aluminum and carbon fiber and has an advanced sports-car chassis featuring Öhlin shock absorbers all round.
The interior in leather is exquisite, with a nostalgic retrospective feel. The steering wheel, instruments and gear selector come from Volvo, as do the V8 engine, the six-speed automatic transmission and the car's electrical system. The engine is tuned with the environment in mind and has been converted to run on ethanol.
Two-year project
It took Leif less than two years to build the V8 Speedster. Leif and his company Caresto, a name also sported on the grille of the car, have two objectives in building the car:
"On the one hand the aim is, of course, to sell the cars and it is my hope to build at least six V8 Speedsters and even more C70s. On the other hand it is in fact for my own enjoyment because I love building cars. It's my hobby and at the same time, it's my job."
Leif Tufvesson previously worked for the
Volvo C70 "Caresto Edition" - Technical Specifications:
| Body: | |
| Front: | Entirely redesigned front where the grille has been moved down and angled back, and the area underneath is recessed and painted the same color as the grille (anthracite gray) to give the impression of a larger grille with a hungrier, leaner look. The bumper section is moved ahead and pulled down to make the car look larger and a little less abruptly cropped at the front, particularly when viewed from the side. Newly designed foglight panels in polished aluminum. |
| Rear: | Newly designed bottom panel that has been moved down and shaped like a venturi tunnel to create a sportier aura. The sides of the panel are shaped and tailored to follow the contours of the new exhaust tailpipes. |
| Chassis: | Lowering kit: 25 mm lower and 15% stiffersprings compared with the original setup. |
| Wheels: | Twenty-spoke aluminum wheels (20 x 8.5) specially created for this particular car. Wheel hubs painted anthracite gray or hyper-silver. Wheel rim edges in polished stainless steel. |
| Tires: | Pirelli P Zero Nero 245/30ZR20. |
| Exhaust system: | 3´- 2.5´ stainless steel full-flow exhaust system, catalytic converters and silencers with Caresto-designed tailpipes. |
| Interior: | Interior retrimmed in chestnut brown hide with a visible coarse double-stitched seam. All panels are retrimmed. Seats retrimmed in the middle with a visible seam. Head restraints also retrimmed. |
| Paint: | The car is painted in Caresto Blue Pearl. The roof pillars are in silver and the roof itself is in matt metallic dark-blue. |
Caresto V8 Speedster - Technical specifications:
| Chassis: | Custom-built tubular steel frame with front and rear sub-frames. |
| Suspension: | Front: Double A-arms of polished stainless steel. Öhlin's coil-over shock absorbers, mounted inboard. Rear: Double A-arms of polished stainless steel. Öhlin's coil-over shock absorbers. |
| Body: | Hand-crafted aluminum. Carbon composite. Removable roof panel/hardtop. |
| Paint: | The car is painted in Caresto Blue Pearl. |
| Interior: | Interior trimmed in chestnut brown hide. |
| Engine: | Mid-mounted V8, 4.4 liters, Volvo B8444S.Ethanol conversion by BSR, Sweden.Power output: petrol, 315 bhp at 5850 rpm.Ethanol, 340 bhp at 5850 rpm. |
| Transmission: | Six-speed Geartronic automatic transaxle with sequential manual shifting. |
| Brakes: | Anti-lock brake system. Brembo 4-pot calipers. Ø 355 mm (14") brake discs. |
| Wheels: | Dimension front: 20 x 8.5". Dimension rear: 22 x 10". |
| Tires: | BF Goodrich G-force. Front: 245/35/20. Rear: 295/45/22. |
| Fuel tank: | Aluminum. Volume: 65 liters. |
| Curb weight: | 1200 kg (2646 lbs). |
Volvo’s XC70 Surf Rescue concept was conceived from the Volvo Cars design team and built by Aria, a concept car building firm located in As its name suggests, the XC70 Surf Rescue is fitted with a full compliment of life-saving equipment and custom rescue surfboards. Take out the graphics and the surfer/rescue equipment and sign us in for one, this is how the stock XC70 should have looked like in the first place. -High-res image gallery & details after the jump
PRESS RELEASE: Quick Response Team Delivers New Concept for Beach Pros - Volvo XC70 Surf Rescue On Patrol at the 2007 SEMA Show
At the
As a testament to Volvo's advanced design capabilities, the XC70 SR concept was initially created in a virtual world. "The entire design process was performed digitally," says Abele. "This enabled us to review and modify the design in real time by projecting it onto large scale screens at each studio."
Volvo selected the Aria Group in
Guided by the surfing lifestyle and casual beach culture, the XC70 SR's paint scheme is developed specifically for the show car by DuPont. Colors are selected from DuPont's Global Advanced Design Show, which represents cutting edge trends in automotive color. The exterior yellow is a multi-layer effect coating incorporating a vibrant color with pearl like qualities. The secondary red uses a tinted clear to produce high chroma with warm undertones. These exotic finishes use DuPont's wet on wet coating technology for multi layer effects without the high cost of multiple baking steps.
Eye-catching Surf Rescue graphics are added for instant recognition on a crowded beach. The exterior also sports a custom-crafted front fascia that wears a one-off milled aluminum billet grille. Front and rear skid plates and wider wheel lip cladding provide extra body protection from flying sand. The new fascias also reduce front and rear overhang, thereby improving approach and departure angles.
The chassis is lifted an additional five inches from the stock ride height for improved ground clearance. It also makes way for a massive set of custom designed 20-inch wheels and Pirelli 275/45R20 tires (www.pirellityre.com) made specifically for the XC70 SR. The tread is designed for increased grip on loose and sandy soil with the flexibility to provide excellent traction both on and off the road. The rear subframe is beefed-up for added ruggedness with milled aluminum billet components.
True to form, the XC70 SR is topped by a unique aerodynamically designed roof-mounted emergency light bar integrated with a rescue board rack. Not only does this treatment contribute to the stunning good looks of the vehicle, it also helps to reduce wind drag by attaching directly to the XC70's OEM supplied roof rails.
When it's time to respond to a call, the driver or front passenger can activate a barrage of flashing blue strobe emergency lights. In addition to the roof, they're neatly inset into the lower front valance panel, headlight and rear combination light clusters as well as the inside rearview mirror.
Lifeguards get wet and sandy on the job so the interior is modified for heavy-duty use - without sacrificing style. The XC70's standard front bucket and folding rear seats are recovered in wetsuit style neoprene fabric that's custom tailored in black and gray with bright yellow inserts. Decorative interior panels throughout the cabin are yellow tinted with clear to segue with the spirit of the exterior hue.
Bulky emergency rescue gear housed in the cargo compartment can easily be accessed via the XC70's power rear tailgate. Secured to the neoprene covered floor are two scuba tanks, an oxygen tank, a small first aid kit, a resuscitator box and a large waterproof box containing additional medical supplies and surf rescue equipment.
The XC70's 3.2-liter in-line 6-cylinder normally aspirated engine produces 235 horsepower and 236 lb.-ft. of torque. It's mated to a six-speed "Geartronic" automatic transmission that enables the driver to shift manually when desired. All-wheel-drive with Instant TractionTM is standard. Electronic Hill Descent Control (HDC) uses the vehicle's brakes and engine torque to crawl in bottom gear on steep downhill slopes.
In a recent interview that Volvo’s senior vice president of r&d, gave to Automotive News, Magnus Jonsson acknowledged that the Swedish carmaker is giving serious consideration to the addition of a five-door model compact-sized model that would be derived from the new C30 three-door sport hatch. Jonsson added that such a vehicle could give Volvo a volume boost even though a five-door model of the C30 would be less exciting from a design perspective.
Apparently, either Jonsson or another high-ranked official from Volvo must have had the same conversation with the folks at Swedish car magazine “Teknikens Varld” as their front cover is adorned by what looks like a rendering of the 5door C30 which they address as the V30 (sounds logical). Something tells us that the Swedes mustn’t be too far off from the real deal.
Pic: Teknikens Varld , Info: Automotive News
Normally, a picture like the one you’re seeing above would have been found in a car forum posted by a driver wanting to share his (horror) story with online readers. But that’s not the case here. These images were actually released by Volvo in order promote the safety of their cars. According to the Swedes, the driver of this 2000 V70, Patrick Englund, was involved in a head-on collision with a car that strayed on the wrong side of the highway near Hyssna, east of Gothenburg, back in March, 2007. Luckily, Patrick, his wife and his two-month old son who were also on board managed to escape this accident with minor injuries. And that’s what counts. -Press release and images after the jump
Press Release: Patrik's Volvo V70 saved the entire family
Every driver's nightmare occurred on the way home from viewing a house. The oncoming car on the straight highway strayed onto the wrong side and Patrik Englund had no chance of swerving. The collision was violent but Patrik and his family escaped without serious injury. "Our Volvo V70 kept its promise. I drive the same car model today," says Patrik.
The accident occurred at about 3 in the afternoon on Sunday, 4 March 2007.
Patrik Englund, his partner Emilie and two-month old son Lucas were driving along the highway near Hyssna, some way inland east of Gothenburg, on the way home from viewing a house.
The sun was shining, the road was straight, and the traffic quiet and undramatic. The speed limit was 70 km/h and the road was monitored by cameras.
Patrik noticed that the oncoming car, a small SUV a couple of hundred metres away, started to move closer to the centre of the road.
"I didn't think too much about it initially. Oncoming cars usually adjust their course quite quickly. But when it crossed the centre marking and drove straight at us I realised that things were going very wrong", remembered Patrik.
Patrik slammed on the brakes and almost managed to stop his Volvo V70 before the oncoming car drove straight into the front of his car.
Violent collision - minimum damage to the Volvo
The collision was violent. But the front of Patrik's V70 was deformed and absorbed most of the collision forces - the passenger compartment remained intact.
Patrik in the driver's seat was protected by the pre-tensioned safety belt and the airbag.
He suffered a crack to his twelfth vertebra but was otherwise uninjured. After three months with support for his chest and back he had recuperated.
His partner Emelie was wearing the three-point safety belt in the middle of the rear seat. She suffered a fracture to one of her knees, which hit the centre console between the front seats. Emilie was on crutches for six weeks and has now recuperated.
Little Lucas, then two months old, sat facing backwards in his baby seat that the family had borrowed from the child welfare centre. He survived unharmed apart from a bruise on his arm. Today Lucas crawls around just as quickly and enthusiastically as his little friends.
Patrik Englund's Volvo V70, a 2000 model, ended up on the scrapheap however ... "But I still drive a Volvo V70. You don't take any risks after having suffered such a violent reminder of the importance of choosing a really safe family car," says Patrik.
New systems can avoid similar accidents
Volvo Car Corporation works intensively on developing systems that can help prevent this type of accidents.
During the course of 2007, Volvo will be introducing two systems which, if they had been installed in the car that collided with Patrik and his family, could have prevented the car from straying onto the wrong side of the road.
Driver Alert Control monitors the car's movements on the road and warns tired drivers who lose concentration whereas Lane Departure Warning warns the driver when the car strays across the centre or side markers for no apparent reason.
MR Sweden Motosport has presented its latest offering based on the diesel version of the stylish Volvo C30 compact sport hatch. Modifications to the car’s 2.4-liter 5-cylinder turbodiesel unit include the new sports air filter and tuned ECU, which help increase output from 185 Hp to 224 Hp and maximum torque to 432 Nm or 318.6-lb/ft. The C30 now sprints from 0 to 100km/h (62 km/h) in 7.5 seconds and reaches a top speed of 225km/h or 146 mph. According to the German based tuner, the supped up Volvo C30 features an avg. consumption figure of 7.9 lt/00 km or 29.7 mpg. -Continued after the jumpStyle wise, MR Sweden Motorsports equips the C30 with a subtle bodykit that consists of fron and rear bumper add-ons, a roof spoiler, side skirts and a real good-looking set of five-spoke 18-inch ASA five-spoke alloy wheels wrapped in 235/35 R18 rubber. The German based tuner also offers an adjustable sports suspension system that lowers the C30’s ground clearance by up to 60mm or 23.6-inches.
Via: Motorpasion
