2013 Volvo S60 Polestar

After Polestar got their tuning hands on the Volvo C30 a few years back, we knew they were the real deal. Thanks to the firm’s racing know-how, they were able to extract 405HP from the small 2.5-liter T5 engine and send that power through an incredible all-wheel drive system which featured adjustable suspension and Brembo brakes, but unfortunately it never made it to production simply because the exercise was too expensive to make production viable.

However, Polestar hasn’t let that disappointment get the way of its most recent plans to tackle the super-sedan market with a rival for the BMW M3, Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG, and Audi RS5. Swedish automotive magazine, TeknikensVarld started the rumors and they definitely have intrigued us, and will undoubtedly intrigue you also.

The magazine claims that Polestar will tackle the Volvo S60 in order to make an M3-killer, and could implant a 4.4-liter, Yamaha-sourced, V8 engine into it – the same unit as fitted to the XC90 and Noble M600 – be it without the two massive turbo’s found in the Noble.

In naturally aspirated form, this engine is said to deliver in excess of the 311 horsepower found in the M3, and if Polestar had their way with the engine, they could easily pump out 400 or more horses if they wanted to really show its German competitors how to create true performance sedans. The prototype caught testing was powered by a T6 AWD with 304 HP, but the final version will deliver much more.

Additionally, this unconfirmed car could come fitted with a Haldex all-wheel drive system and a sequential gearbox and would obviously feature more aggressive styling over the stock car.

Despite all of this sounding very appealing, we have serious doubts that it’ll ever make it into production, unless Polestar and Volvo can work out a cheap way to develop and produce a true rival to the BMW M3.

2013 Volvo S60 Polestar

After Polestar got their tuning hands on the Volvo C30 a few years back, we knew they were the real deal. Thanks to the firm’s racing know-how, they were able to extract 405HP from the small 2.5-liter T5 engine and send that power through an incredible all-wheel drive system which featured adjustable suspension and Brembo brakes, but unfortunately it never made it to production simply because the exercise was too expensive to make production viable.

However, Polestar hasn’t let that disappointment get the way of its most recent plans to tackle the super-sedan market with a rival for the BMW M3, Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG, and Audi RS5. Swedish automotive magazine, TeknikensVarld started the rumors and they definitely have intrigued us, and will undoubtedly intrigue you also.

The magazine claims that Polestar will tackle the Volvo S60 in order to make an M3-killer, and could implant a 4.4-liter, Yamaha-sourced, V8 engine into it – the same unit as fitted to the XC90 and Noble M600 – be it without the two massive turbo’s found in the Noble.

In naturally aspirated form, this engine is said to deliver in excess of the 311 horsepower found in the M3, and if Polestar had their way with the engine, they could easily pump out 400 or more horses if they wanted to really show its German competitors how to create true performance sedans. The prototype caught testing was powered by a T6 AWD with 304 HP, but the final version will deliver much more.

Additionally, this unconfirmed car could come fitted with a Haldex all-wheel drive system and a sequential gearbox and would obviously feature more aggressive styling over the stock car.

Despite all of this sounding very appealing, we have serious doubts that it’ll ever make it into production, unless Polestar and Volvo can work out a cheap way to develop and produce a true rival to the BMW M3.

Volvo buying Saab: Sweden to play major role

Volvo and Saab have long since been rivals in the automotive industry. Recent years have seen a decline in this competition, but the two still share much in common. After General Motors was finished running Saab into the ground by making re-branded Chevrolets with their nameplate, it was sold off. One of the most unique companies in the world, Spyker, bought Saab and has been running it since 2010.

Earlier today a Swedish newspaper has reported that Volvo in conjunction with the Swedish government were in talks about buying Saab. Volvo spokesman Per-Ake Froberg said, “No such talks have been going on and no such talks are scheduled.” The idea of this merger is rather interesting and has several implications on capital markets.

The De Telegraaf newspaper mentions that the Swedish government would like Volvo to take over Saab because that would mean a greater chance that a loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB) granted to Saab, which was guaranteed by Sweden, would be repaid. This type of acquisition would also help Saab deal with its cash problem. Spyker had its 2010 sales fall below forecasts and has therefore struggled to pay suppliers. Sweden has also come to the rescue here by approving financing to help get production on the move once more.

The Swedish government is not the only player in this transaction seeing as China is essentially the owner of Volvo. Geely Automotive Holdings took over the Volvo brand after its sale from Ford. This acquisition was the largest of any automaker by China. You may also remember the acquisition of the Hummer brand, but that paled in comparison to this. The Saab CEO, Victor Muller, has said, “the Swedish carmaker is negotiating with a wide range of Chinese car makers about a tie up.” It will be interesting to see how this situation plays out and whether these two monikers can rise from the ashes of their U.S. ownership and become profitable once again.

for more info visit  www,topspeed.com

2011 Volvo V60

After the S60, Volvo has decided to unveil its station wagon version, the V60. The new V60 is built at the Volvo Cars production plant in Torslanda, Sweden and will go on sale this fall.

The new S60 will be available with a choice of two chassis. On the European market the newly developed dynamic chassis is standard, while some other markets will have the touring chassis as standard with the dynamic variant available as an option. Also, all variants of the V60 can be specified with the optional FOUR-C (Continuously Controlled Chassis Concept) active chassis.

The new Volvo V60 will be available with a choice of three petrol and diesel engines: a new four-cylinder 2.0T GTDi with 203 HP and 300 NM of torque; two new 1.6-liter GTDi engines, one with 150 HP and one with 180 HP; two five-cylinder turbodiesels consisting of a D5 with 205 HP and 420 Nm of torque and a D3 with 163 HP and 400 Nm of torque and also a new DRIVe diesel that delivers 115 HP and 270 Nm of torque. All engines can be coupled to either a six-speed automatic transmission or a six-speed manual gearbox.

2011 Volvo S60 and V60 R-Design

Apparently no one wants to share the spotlight during the Paris Auto Show because many automakers have decided to spill the beans about the vehicles they will be debuting just a week before the actual event. Volvo is no different as they have just revealed details on an R-Design package for both their S60 and V60 models. Both models will go on sale in the autumn of 2010, with the US market only getting the S60 R-Design.

The R-Design models will be distinguished by a redesigned front with a grille painted in glossy piano black, color-matched body components, details in matte special finish, and a hexagonal pattern that is repeated both front and rear. The sedan will also get twin exhaust tailpipes and unique five-spoke 18-inch Diamond cut wheels. Both models will be painted in Passion Red. The interior will get sports seats, special leather/textile upholstery, special steering wheel, gear selector, sports pedals, and floor-mats.

As for the technical details, the R-Design models will get a strut brace under the bonnet, monotube dampers, the shortened (by 15mm) front and rear springs, and a new Corner Traction Control system.

Under the hood Volvo will place a range of petrol and diesel engines, starting with an economical DRIVe version producing 115 HP and going up to a high-performance turbo version with 304 HP.

2011 Volvo XC60

The Volvo XC60 enters the 2011 model year with no major changes on either the exterior or the interior. What it does get is a new Pedestrian Detection with a full auto brake safety system and a new infotainment system, similar to the one found in the S60.

The new Pedestrian Detection with full auto brake safety system works together to ensure that no pedestrian will get hurt due to unfortunate incident. The system uses radar and camera technology to watch for pedestrians at the front of the car. The system will alert the driver who can then act accordingly by either braking or steering clear of the pedestrian. If the driver is distracted in any way and does not brake or steer away then the auto brake system will stop the vehicle right before the vehicle hits the pedestrian.

The Volvo XC60 will come powered with a choice of a four-cylinder direct-injected 1.6-liter and a 2-liter GTDi engine.

2010 Volvo Air Motion

Volvo has entered the Los Angeles Design Challenge with the Air Motion design concept, except it’s only a scale model that will probably never see the light of production’s day. We’d give Volvo a hard time, but Maybach seemed to only bring sketches of their eRikscha so we’ll let Volvo slide.

The Volvo Air Motion’s shape is designed like a clamshell made out of ultra light carbon fiber. The goal for this vehicle is minimizing weight and complexity, while maximizing driving enjoyment. Fit under the inner workings of the car are compressed air motors that replace a heavy internal combustion engine and cool down under load instead of heating up. The lack of need for a heavy cooling system adds to the lightness of this concept, as do modifications to the chassis, interior, and suspension.

The Volvo Air Motion concept is powered by air turbines that float 1,000ft in the air and harness the power of the wind to convert it to electricity. This electricity provides the compression.

All in all, however, this is just another beautiful and unique concept that will never see the light of day. We hope all of the automakers that have presented the unique concepts have very deep filing cabinets that will keep these concepts safe until they are ready to flow on our streets.

2012 Volvo S60 T5

Volvo is offering its American customers a cheaper entry level model for the S60 line-up. It’s called the T5 and is priced at only $30,795, which is $450 less than the previous base model and $7,000 more affordable compared to the initial top version.

This new version will be powered by a turbocharged 2.5-liter 5-cylinder engine that delivers a total of 250HP and 266 lb-ft of torque and is mated to a six speed automatic transmission. It comes equipped with memory, power folding rear head restraints, front and rear sport seats, a leather steering wheel with metal inlays, dual-zone air conditioning, an infotainment and 8-speaker sound system, Bluetooth hands-free phone interface, T-Tec textile upholstery, and 17-inch alloys.

2012 Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid

Volvo has officially unveiled its next hybrid vehicle for the mass market at the Geneva Motor Show. The Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid will introduce several new technological innovations that Volvo Car has been developing. Development of the V60 Hybrid has taken place at the same time as the full electric C30 model and with production of that ready to begin, the V60 is not far behind.

This new model will be capable of driving 32 miles on full electric power and produce only 49g/km of carbon dioxide emissions. This car features a unique system of a diesel engine powering the car in some situations and the electric motor kicking in for others. Multiple driving modes can be selected by the driver depending of he would rather use full electric power or the two in conjunction – this differs from many hybrids because the car will usually make the decision when to use electric power. In order to develop these technologies quickly and efficiently Volvo formed a partnership with the Swedish energy supplier Vattenfall in 2007 and has been working on plug in technology ever since.

"In order to get true car enthusiasts to think green, you have to offer them the opportunity to drive with low carbon dioxide emissions without taking away the adrenaline rush that promotes genuine driving pleasure. The V60 Plug-inHybrid has all the traditional properties of a genuine sports wagon. What we’ve done is to spice it up with spearhead technology," says Stefan Jacoby.

2011 Volvo Ocean Race Edition

In October 2011, four race competing teams under the Volvo flag will embark on an eight-month-long adventure traveling around the world in some of the world’s most treacherous seas. With such a dramatic event about to take place, it’s no wonder Volvo is seizing the opportunity to offer a special edition Ocean Race Edition for four of its models: V60, V70, XC60, and XC70.

According to Lennart Stegland, President of the Special Vehicles division at Volvo Cars: "The cars in the Volvo Ocean Race Edition reflect all the values that our customers look for when they choose a car: an active lifestyle, adventure and passion, without compromising safety and environmental care."

"There are many features that in a very subtle way make you think about boats and sailing. The aluminum decor is designed in such a way that the pattern looks like a yacht harbour full of sailing boat masts. The stitching on the upholstery traces its roots to sail-making. The aluminum detailing on the mats resembles clews. And the design of the unique wheels has been inspired by the movement of the ocean’s wave."