Swedish car manufacturer Volvo, in line with its DRIVe Towards Zero campaign will be launching a hybrid vehicle by 2012. The announcement also puts spotlight to the partnership formed between Volvo and energy firm Vattenfall.
Vattenfall will be helping Volvo in the production of their first plug in vehicle and their line of electric vehicles in the future.
The agreement between the two companies to develop the needed technology have been forged since 2007.
Saab has also joined forces with Volvo and Vattenfall to help in the endeavor. Saab has developed a concept 9-X BioHybrid.
Volvo has on the drawing boards the concept car based on the hatchback C30 for their plug-in hybrid car technology. By mid-2009. Volvo will run a test of their V70 plug in cars cruising on the roads of Europe.
The demo vehicles is aimed at giving Volvo and its partners the feedback that they need from the first hand experience of the people behind the wheels. They want to hear about the comments of consumers with regard to the new car technology so they can adapt to possible driving habits and apply the necessary innovations.
Vattenfall will explore the different means of charging the vehicle at home or through network of public charging stations.
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Volvo is introducing two 2.4-liter, five-cylinder, turbo diesel engines: the twin turbo D5 with 420 Nm of torque and 205 horse power, and the single turbo 2.4D with 420 Nm of torque and 175 horse power.
The higher powered engine has already been launched in the Volvo S80, but both engines will soon be available in Volvo V70, Volvo S80, Volvo XC70 and Volvo XC60 in most markets by spring of this year.
Among the two D5 engines, the twin turbo engine is also more fuel-efficient. The engine allows for a higher level of exhaust gas recirculation compared to other engines. The twin turbo D5 effectively combines high performance with low fuel consumption.
The single turbo 2.4D was also optimized to use up lower levels of fuel. The engine is set to have a different injection system compared to the one D5 nestles. Its fuel efficiency and combustion will depend thoroughly on precise fuel injection sequences.
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At the upcoming Geneva auto show, Volvo cars will be introducing seven latest DRIVe models, in which three of them bear start/stop and regenerative charging systems.
The Volvo DRIVe cars line is categorized into three, according to the three emission levels.
The first category is the 120 g level. The Volvo S40, C30 and V50 1.6d DRIVe will be equipped with the Start/Stop function this spring 2009. The Volvo 1.6D can produce 109 horsepower and a torque of 177 pound-feet. This feature aids in lowering the emissions up to 107 Gco2/km for the S40 and V50 models, and 104 Gco2/km for the Volvo C30.
The next emission level is the 140 g level. Volvo V70 and S80 are now featured with the DRIVe editions. The vehicles are still furnished with 1.6-liter engine configuration and manual gearbox. The optimized engine unit helps a lot on the Volvo’s large scale sedans to trim down fuel consumption and emissions of CO2.
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Ford is looking to sell the Swedish brand Volvo which it acquired in 1999. The tag is at $6 billion which is close to how much Volvo was acquired. Ford is using the expert advice of JPMorgan Chase & Co.
The move is considered by Ford amid the weakening of the auto industry and global economy. The company is looking to boost its finances for operations and aims to partake in the $9 billion aid from the US government.
Volvo was considered the top caliber vehicle for safety last January of 2008. Ford is counting on the confidence of the market on the Volvo brand to attract bidders.
Any heavy discount will be favorable to the buyer but will not be ideal for Ford. The choices may also be among Chinese car producers, business groups arranged by the Swedish government, or by buy out companies.
The Renault group of France has clearly stated that they are not interested in Volvo. Same is true for Korea based Hyundai.
SAIC from China declined to comment but are seen by experts as a potential bidder. Another buyer from the Far East is the Dong Feng Motor Group.
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Volvo unveils the next generation S60 Concept which will be their basis of the sedan production line of the future. The design will spearhead their move to stay ahead of a very competitive sedan market come 2010.
The S60 concept has a very sleek lines inspired by the standards of coupes. Any car enthusiast will enjoy and be able to appreciate the sporty look and pimped up interiors of the new Volvo vehicle.
The grilled of the next generation car gets a refinement with the horizontal vanes being added to its design. The DNA lamps bring focus to the V-shape bonnet. The trapezoidal air intakes complete the expressive façade of the S60 Concept.
Viewed from the side, the S60 concept car presents a double wave formation drawn by its roofline and its lateral shoulder. It also boasts of a specially designed 20-inch wheels with specially crafted tires. The rear doors glides open towards the rear wheel.
The interior of the S60 Concept features designs which are to expect for with Volvo sedans of the future. The central theme is to provide perfect control and comfort for the driver. The instrument display is conveniently built in layers and provides a feel of weightless stack of gauges.
The seats are as comfortable as sitting in your living room couch and the finishing touches are highlighted with birch wood inspired by the Scandinavian landscape.
Enhancing its safety, the car is able to detect pedestrians that steps into the danger path of the car. If the driver does not respond accordingly, the auto brake system will be triggered. The concept aims to decrease collision forces by as much as 75% to increase the survival chances of pedestrians.
The S60 Concept’s engine is a 1.6L petrol type that is highly efficient. CO2 emission is significantly reduced to 119 g/km.
More photos after the jump!
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Straight from Volvo’s own official youtube channel.
“At the Paris Motor Show in October, Volvo Cars were presenting new diesel variants of the Volvo C30, Volvo S40 and Volvo V50 models with fuel consumption of just 4.4 litres/100 km (the Volvo C30) or 4.5 litres/100 km (the S40 and the V50). Magnus Jonsson, head of Volvo Cars’ R&D explains the technology behind the new low fuel consuming engines”
Source
Volvo has always been known for being on the front lines of innovation, and their bus department (or is it the alternative fuels department?) has proven once again that they’re top notch when they launched the Volvo 7700 bus earlier this week…
The 7700 will apparently consume about 30% less fuel than a standard street bus which could have a huge impact on any city should they decide to use this system. Microdust and other particles emissions will also be reduced by about 50%.
That’s one green bus — and that’s what Volvo must have thought painting it Brittish Racing Green. Hybrid cars can have a huge impact, but think about what all the green buses could do!
Click images for full size view.
Roadfly, a popular car channel on youtube, was there when Volvo unveiled the new Volvo XC70 at the 2007 New York International Auto Show. I don’t think the XC70 estate/SUV looks that good (I once said something different but now that I’ve seen it in the flesh I changed my mind) - but I’m sure it’ll be a sellout both in the UK and the US, where the safe Volvos are a great success.
Thanks Mr. Roadfly.tv!
LOL. I got this e-mail from an INDIAN bloke trying to sell me his 2007 Volvo C30. Funny stuff.
Volvo C30 model of the Volvo cars was first exhibited during the 2006 Detroit show. Since the debut of the car, the enthusiasts of cars seem interested in the smallest car by Volvo. With a length of 167 inches, it uses a 5-cylinder turbo charged engine of 2.5 litre capacity.
Volvo Cars first decide what the demands of the market and then starts designing and building the cars so much so that they really appeal to the targeted market. With the younger people as a target audience in mind, Volvo cars have sent the Volvo C30 model into the market. This new car targeted at the youth market is available with trademark Volvo framework, and there is certainly no mistake in that.
The model comes using Volvo transmission mount, providing an even enhanced performance and riding experience. When we look into the interior of the vehicle, we notice that the dash board is very much alike that of Volvo S40. The car’s centre console is quite slim and its design shows of minimalism. The wheels are of four different decorations of the alloy, the exterior body kits are also available in four colours, the centre console is available in two designs and there are also two options for the inlay of the door panels.
Pics:
A brand new Volvo V70 Police Car today — launched at Stockholms police conference just a couple weeks ago…
I’m assuming this is the 185bhp version but according to people at Volvo “next year will see the introduction of the new 200 hp 2.5 FT Flexi-fuel (E85) version as an environmentally optimised option for the police.”
Click photos for full size view!
The agreement between the two companies to develop the needed technology have been forged since 2007.
