A new Volvo factory in China built by Geely will churn out about 300,000 cars per year for the Chinese market, while other Volvo factories around the world will help bring up the total annual output to a whopping 1 million cars! Yes, you can produce all you want but will you be able to sell all the cars you produce? Apparently this is their aim, to sell a million cars a year by 2013, up from 458,323 they recorded in 2008. That’s an increase of about double.

Our very own Volvo assembly plant in Malaysia produces the S40, V50 and the 2.5T variant of the S80 for the local market. The Malaysian plant exports the S40 and the V50 for sale in Thailand. Hopefully Volvo is being rewarded in terms of various incentives appropriately by our government, otherwise there’s just no point for manufacturers to come in and do anything here if the case studies all go wrong.

The other thing that’s bugging people is of course the possibility of Volvo just going down the drain after Chinese ownership. That seems to be what happened to Ssangyong, look where it is now post-SAIC ownership? On the verge of bankruptcy, recovery plan rejected by creditors, and there is even a lawsuit going on now involving Ssangyong hybrid technology being leaked and transferred illegally to SAIC.

Despite Ssangyong being owned by SAIC, as the Ssangyong hybrid tech was developed using some Korean state grants, the tech is registered as state-owned in Korea and cannot be shared without government approval.

Will something similiar happen to Volvo? Will it be siphoned dry and then left to rot, or does Geely have an actual plan to bring Volvo to new heights? A Geely spokesperson today assured that Volvo would be keeping the rights to its technologies but did say Geely would get the right to use those technologies.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 09:52:10 +0800.

These are the first few product photos of the new Volvo S60 officially released by the Volvo PR team as a preview to a full-fledged unveiling soon. The car will make its public debut at the Geneva Motor Show 2010 in early March next year, and production will begin early summer 2010 at Volvo’s Belgian plant.

No other details or specifications have been revealed other than the fact that you can specify an optional feature called Pedestrian Detection that can detect pedestrians in front of the car and brake automatically if the driver doesn’t react in time.

Looking pretty good I must say, though I would prefer if the front end were to be a little sharper. It’s a little soft now, especially with the big soft ‘eyes’ (headlamps) and all. What do you think, do you like it?

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 09:52:10 +0800.

Volvo has updated the specifications for the Volvo S40 here in Malaysia. The 2.4 liter engine has been replaced by a 2.0 liter unit which is essentially the Duratec unit found in the Ford Focus and the Mazda 3 here in Malaysia. It makes 145 PS at 6,000rpm and 185Nm of torque at 4,500rpm.

But what’s most interesting is the fact that the engine is now mated to a Ford Powershift transmission, which is basically a 6-speed twin clutch transmission. This makes it the first locally assembled (CKD) twin clutch car in the country. Powershift is a development of Getrag Ford Transmissions GmbH, a 50:50 Ford and Getrag JV.

Like VW’s DSG, there are two versions of the Powershift transmission out there – one with wet clutches and another with dry clutches. The unit installed in the S40 is the wet clutch version. Generally dry clutch versions like Volkswagen’s 7-speed DSG (the 6-speed used a wet clutch) are more efficient and lighter because an oil bath is not necessary, Ford/Volvo says wet versions have reduced wear and tear and thus last longer. Ford will use its dry clutch version on smaller cars like the Fiesta.

A twin-clutch transmission basically means the gearbox works like a manual transmission but it has two clutches, one for the odd gears and one for the even gears. While the odd clutch is in 3rd gear and is currently the active gear selected, the even clutch pre-selects 4th gear, so that when the time comes to shift, the switchover is much faster and smoother – an almost continuous flow of power.

0 to 100km/h with manual transmission takes about 9.5 seconds in a 2.0 liter Volvo S40 which is really quite far from blazing. The Powershift model is rated at 9.8 seconds, just fractions of a second slower than a true blue manual. As for fuel consumption, the car is rated for 11.3 liter per 100km in the city, 6.4 liters per 100km on the highway, and 8.1 liters per 100km on combined usage.

Other than the engine change, this new S40 specification also adds dual xenon headlamps and the Blind-Spot Info System that notifies the driver (with a blinking light) of objects in the car’s blindspot zone, which personally I feel is a little too sensitive.

The new Volvo S40 2.0 Powershift retails for RM169,950.00 OTR without insurance, which just happens to be the exact same figure as the 2.4 liter model. But what you’re paying for the Powershift is actually just slightly more than the 2.4 by a couple of hundreds of ringgit. This is because the OTR without insurance price includes road tax, and the 2.0 model naturally has cheaper road tax at RM379.50 as opposed to the 2.4 liter model’s RM815.

Look after the jump for a PDF brochure and pricelist of the new car.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 09:52:10 +0800.

There is a new interested party that will be bidding for a Volvo takeover – a new consortium called Crown led by ex-Ford man Michael Dingman. Dingman was a Ford board member for 21 years until he left in 2002. He has partnered up with engineering man Shamel Rushwin, who is both ex-Ford and ex-Chrysler.

So far the Crown offer is reported to be lower than Geely’s US$2.2 billion bid but Crown says they intend to invest another US$3 billion in Volvo if it succeeds in taking over the company. Talk is cheap of course – I hope this is written down in black and white somewhere. Crown is backed by some US investors currently and are looking for some Swedish investors and partners – Volvo being Swedish and all.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 09:52:10 +0800.

The C30 hatchback has been updated to feature Volvo’s new front-end look, as per the convertible C70 recently. Most of the changes are aesthetic and also include new colour choices for the exterior and interior – total configurations thanks to the various options results in 2,561,328 possible combinations.

Other than the looks, the other most significant change to me is the new ’sports chassis’ option which basically means stiffer bushes, a 10% lower steering ratio, and suspension parts (these include new monotube stiffer dampers, stiffer springs and stiffer roll stabilizers) that are stiffer by 30%.

The star engines of the range are the T5 and D5 models. The petrol T5 puts out 230 horses and 320Nm of torque from its 2.5 liter inline-5 while the D5’s 2.4 liter turbodiesel makes 180hp and 400Nm of torque, yet consumes only 6.2 liters per 100km.

Look after the jump for photos and videos of the C30.

VIDEO: Volvo C30 – Part 1 of 4

VIDEO: Volvo C30 – Part 2 of 4

VIDEO: Volvo C30 – Part 3 of 4

VIDEO: Volvo C30 – Part 4 of 4

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 09:52:10 +0800.

The Volvo C70 coupe-cabriolet has received a facelift, giving it a new front end inspired by the S60 Concept Car unveiled earlier this year. This design update brings the marque closer to consistent family-look similiar to the XC60’s face. At the rear, the C70 gets new LED lamps. Other than that, there are not much changes. Being a CBU model, it should be easy for Volvo Cars Malaysia to bring this new facelit in. It only has to wait for the current stock of C70 to finish, if any. The C70 currently goes for about RM346k for the sedate 2.4i up to RM400k for the turbocharged T5 version – prices without insurance.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 09:52:10 +0800.

The XC60 does look good but despite the hot turbocharged engine under the hood, the owner may feel a little jealous of his peer with an Audi Q5’s numerous bodykit and tuning options. No worries, Volvo’s new R-Design package for the Volvo XC60 will help buyers of Volvo’s sporty SUV spice it up a little. The changes are actually really really subtle though. Look after the jump for a gallery of the XC60 R-Design as well as another of a normal XC60 so you can “spot the difference”.

GALLERY: Volvo XC60 with R-Design kit

Exterior:

* Grille in silk metal finish with R-Design badge
* Front fog lamp décor in silk metal finish
* Door mirror housings in silk metal finish
* Five-spoke 18-inch aluminium wheels – Cratus (20 inch optional)
* Sill mouldings in aluminium look
* Twin chromed tailpipes
* Colour-matched lower body mouldings.
* Chrome-plated rear skid-plate with black mesh
* Sport chassis
* 7 body colours to choose between including the R-Design unique colour Passion red

Interior:

* Sport seats for great cornering support and comfort
* Unique upholstery in smooth leather with a choice of two colour combinations: off-black with soft beige inserts or vice versa
* Embossed R-Design emblem in the front backrests.
* Watch Dial instrument with blue gauges, unique to the R-Design model
* R-Design sports steering wheel trimmed in perforated leather
* Sports pedals in aluminium
* R-Design centre stack trim with a unique décor pattern
* Gear selector trimmed with perforated leather
* Off-black sports mats

GALLERY: Volvo XC60 with original body

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 09:52:10 +0800.

The new Volvo XC60 is here, available in two variants but both with a 3.0 liter turbocharged six-cylinder T6 engine producing an exciting 285 horsepower and 400Nm of torque from just 1,500rpm, mated to a 6-speed Geartronic auto. The two variants are called the XC60 T6 LE and the XC60 T6 SE, and they retail for RM360k and RM330k respectively, OTR without insurance. It’s a rather handsome and dynamic looking car actually, a far departure from the Volvos of the past. Think of it as a smaller XC90 on steroids, buffed up and more toned.

The more expensive LE version is the one with all the goodies. For an additional 30k, you get a panoramic sunroof, a 12 speaker Dynaudio premium sound system, Adaptive Cruise Control, Collision Warning with Auto Brake, Lane Departure Warning, and Drive Alert Control. Collision Warning with Autobrake actually alerts the driver if the distance to the car in front of you suddenly decreases. If the driver does not react in time, the system brakes at up to 50% maximum braking power automatically.

The cheaper SE version gets an 8 speaker sound system. Both sound systems feature a 6-CD changer with AUX, USB, Bluetooth and iPod connectors. The interior leather can be had in either soft beige/espresso brown, or offblack. The trim inlays can be had in either a sporty brushed aluminium trim, or for something more classic, you have classic wood or Nordic light oak.

Here’s the rest of the equipment that comes with both LE and SE versions: dual stage driver and front airbags, dual chamber front SIPS (side impact protection system) airbags, Inflatable Curtain airbags, all-wheel drive, whiplash protection system, a 40:20:40 splitting rear seat, ABS, EBD, brake assist, ready alert brake, fading brake support, dynamic stability and traction control, roll stability control, rollover protection system, hill descent control, blindspot information system, rain sensor wipers, active bending lights, headlamp washers, ISOFIX points for the rear seats, speed sensitive power steering with 3 manual settings, electric seats for the front with memory for the driver, auto-dimming rear view mirror with integrated compass, powered tailgate, B-pillar ventilation vents, and a Personal Car Communicator for keyless entry and drive.

Optional over the prices above are various styling accessories which consist of larger 19 inch wheels, front bumper bars in matte aluminium, running boards, side scuff plates, and a rear bumper skid plate.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 09:52:10 +0800.

Nevertheless even that news report is skeptical about how such a deal can pull through successfully. Geely’s market value is over 30 billion yuan, which is about 4.3 billion USD, and a Volvo buy would also require several billion USD, claims the site. They are saying Geely might take government loans and other financial assistance. And given Ford’s improving financial health, it will be less desperate to sell Volvo, which might raise the Swedish manufacturer’s price.

Elsewhere in media reports, people are still talking about another Chinese car company recently deciding to join the race to buy Volvo from Ford – Beijing Auto Industry Holdings. Beijing Auto currently has joint ventures in China with Mercedes-Benz and Hyundai. Other names mentioned before in the press said to be interested in Volvo include Renault, Chery, and Changan.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 09:52:10 +0800.

Volvo and Swedish energy company Vattenfall will be cooperating on producing plug-in diesel-electric hybrid Volvos that combine electric motors with high capacity lithium ion batteries and turbodiesel powertrains by 2012. Volvo will manufacture the cars and Vattenfall will develop the charging systems as well as supply the cars with electricity for plug-in charging.

Three Volvo V70 demonstrator cars will be presented in summer this year by the joint venture. These demo cars will be used to gather information about the wishes and demands that drivers may have on the new technology, to determine their driving habits and to establish how they want to charge their cars.

Vattenfall will be using these demo cars to test various concepts for high-speed home charging and also for charging stations in public places, where owners pay to charge up the car with electricity instead of refueling it with fossil fuels.

Determining charging behaviour patterns are very important in order to plan and deploy a charging infrastructure that works. Conducting focus groups and verbally finding out what potential drivers may think they want is one thing but real life requirements may change once someone is actually driving a plug-in car, thus these demo cars are actually quite important.

Look after the jump for some shots of the V70 demo car.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 09:52:10 +0800.

Heico Sportiv displayed this kitted up Volvo XC60 at the Essen Motor Show last year, and it’s the world’s first complete tuning program for Volvo’s baby XC90.

Other than aesthetic enhancements which include either a twin or quad tailpipe exhaust at the rear and sports springs which lowers the car by 30mm, both the petrol and diesel variants have an engine tuning program. The XC60 2.4D and XC60 D5 have engine outputs of 163 PS and 185 PS respectively but Heico tunes both up to 210 PS. The T6 turbocharged 3.0 liter inline-6 variant gets boosted up from 285 PS to 315 PS.

The XC60 will share some technical underpinings with the latest generation Freelander. It is set to join Volvo Cars Malaysia’s product line-up in either Q2 or Q3 2009. Look after the jump for more photos and a video featuring the diesel HEICO XC60’s exhaust note. You’ll be amazed that it’s a diesel!

Related Posts:
2009 Volvo XC60 to be unveiled at Geneva
VIDEO: Volvo XC60 Driving Shots Footage

VIDEO: HEICO Sportiv Volvo XC60 D5 Sound Test (turbodiesel)

VIDEO: HEICO Sportiv Volvo XC60 T6 Sound Test (petrol)

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 09:52:10 +0800.

Ford-owned auto maker; Volvo will launch the 2010 Volvo S80 at the upcoming motor show in Geneva which is set to take place next week. The refreshed S80 now gets a new front grille featuring a larger iron mark on the front fascia. There are also new bright work on the air intakes, lower part of the doors and under the tail lamps. The new treatment on the outside help give the S80 a slightly lower, longer and wider stance.

On the inside, the new S80 gets exclusive aluminium dials with decor trim with silk matte metal-effect finish on the four-spoke steering wheel which is also found in the gear selector, around the starter button.

Under the hood, the new S80 receives a brand new engine. Called the D5 power plant, it is a twin-turbo 5 cylinder 2.4-litre turbodiesel that is able to produce 205HP a nd 420Nm of torque. The new engine only consumes 6.2 liters per 100 kilometers while releasing 164 grams of emissions per kilometer. Potential buyers can also opt for the new 5 cylinder single turbo 2.4-litre diesel engine which is good for 175HP and 420Nm of torque. Fuel consumption is slightly lower at 5.8 liters per 100 kilometers while it releases 154 grams per kilometer.

Potential buyers can also choose between two chassis options including a standard chassis that is tuned to offer better comfort and a sports chassis that is well-suited for spirited driving. The standard chassis now features softer springs which is good for customers who would prefer a comfortable car over a sportier variant.

With the more rigid sports chassis, the car has been lowered by 20 millimeters at the front and 15 millimeters at the rear which also gives the car a more aggressive stance. Other improvements made to offer better handling include; shorter and firmer springs, shock absorbers with greater damping abilities, harder bushings on the sub-frame as well as firmer anti-roll bars.

Also offered as standard with the sports chassis is the automatic self-leveling system that raises the car when it is fully loaded. Continue reading to view an image gallery.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 09:52:10 +0800.

Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Haji Aman says his government has switched from the Proton Perdana V6 Executive to new “black Volvo 2.5″ cars as the state’s new official cars. Once again as with Perak (Camry) and Terengganu (Mercedes-Benz E200K), the reason given was the high maintenance cars for the Perdanas.

He says the arrangement for the purchase is through a company called Angkatan Hebat Sdn Bhd (a company which the state government holds 70% of through its Warisan Harta Sabah Sdn Bhd investment arm), which will then lease the cars to the state.

The Perdana V6 is still in use as official cars for some senior officers including permanent secretaries and heads of departments. The new imported Volvos are for the 12 Sabah Ministers only. A 2.5 liter Volvo sedan would most likely point to the Volvo S80, the 2.5T model in particular, which offers an effortless drive thanks to its torquey 2.5 liter inline-5 turbocharged engine. The Volvo S80 2.5T has also been spotted being used by the PDRM as part of its police car fleet. But if it is not a sedan (New Sabah Times sources only revealed it was a “car”, did not specify any bodyshape), an XC90 would make sense.

The only question right now is, how will the S80s be maintained well when according to the Volvo Cars Malaysia “Find A Dealer” page, there are no authorised dealers or service centers in Sabah? I hope Volvo Cars Malaysia will be able to provide training to Angkatan Hebat technicians or some other kind of arrangement, otherwise it might end up being “high maintenance” all over again. A quick check with Angkatan Hebat’s company profile (page 14) shows it already maintains a fleet of 38 Volvos and 14 service centers around Sabah so hopefully it should be sufficiently equipped.

Source

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 09:52:10 +0800.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 09:52:10 +0800.

The Volvo XC90, Jeremy Clarkson’s choice of people mover for his family (he bought 3 in a row, the latest this month after he sold his 2nd one in October last year), now comes in diesel. Under the hood of the new diesel facelifted XC90 is an inline-5 2.4 liter turbodiesel engine producing 185 horsepower at 4,000rpm and 400Nm of torque between 2,000 to 2,750rpm, which should be adequate for moving the 7-seater around through the Geartronic transmission’s 6-speeds and all-wheel drive.

Naturally being a Volvo, there are adequate safety equipment. Three-point inertia-reel seatbelts with belt pre-tensioners and head restraints are available on all 7 seats. A feature called Roll Stability Control activates if the car risks rolling over. RSC reduces engine power, increases anti-roll bar stiffness, and automatically applies the brakes to help stablize the car. The all-wheel drive system is supplemented with Dynamic Stability and Traction Control. There are plenty of airbags all-around, with an Inflatable Curtain airbag on both sides of the car that inflates all the way from the front row until the third row.

The XC90 D5’s selling price is exactly the same as the 2.5T petrol version – RM 355,000 OTR without insurance. The vehicle’s road tax is actually cheaper than the petrol version at RM760 a year compared to the 2.5T’s RM873.60. The petrol version makes more power at 210hp, but less torque at only 320Nm. Its slower to accelerate though, taking 11.5 seconds to get to 100km/h compared to the 2.5T’s 9.9 seconds. However it makes up for that in fuel economy, rated to consume only 8.5 liters per 100km on the comnbined cycle compared to the petrol version’s 11.8 liters per 100km.

All other equipment are exactly the same except the D5 doesn’t have Dual Xenon Lights, but the 2.5T only has a 5-speed auto compared to the D5’s 6-speed unit.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 09:52:10 +0800.

If you think the Evo X is the only expensive turbocharged police car added to the PDRM fleet recently, you’re wrong. Reader Kevin Lee spotted this Volvo S80 2.5T around the Sunway area. I’m not sure how high you have to go in the police force to be able to drive one of these police Volvo S80 luxo-cruisers, but 200 horsepower at 4,800rpm and 300Nm between 1,500 to 4,500rpm matched with a 6-speed Geartronic sure sounds nice. The interior is a nice place to be in as well. It’s really wide and feels the most luxurious of anything under RM300k, or even RM400k I dare say.

The turbocharged inline-5 engine takes the car up to 100km/h in 8 seconds and goes on to a top speed of 210km/h. These Volvo S80 2.5T luxury cars cost about RM 285,000 OTR without insurance for us peasants, but a police vehicle would likely be tax-free. And that retail price is even cheaper than the Evo X! Are we heading back to the days of PDRM Volvo 850 T5 wagons keeping the highways in check?

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 09:52:10 +0800.

The Volvo SC90 concept was panned by Nouphone J. Bansasine during his internship at Volvo in Summer 2007, and it was essentially a Volvo entry into the fray of “4-door coupes” being launched one after another by nearly all car manufacturers who ever use the word luxury in any of their marketing material.

In the designer’s imaginary world, the SC90 concept would go into production by the year 2015 against the Aston Martin Rapide and the Porsche Panamera, and according to current Volvo nomenclature it would most likely be called the Volvo C90. Perhaps it’s because it would probably take that long for anyone to find a Volvo entry in THAT segment sexy enough to purchase – 4-door coupes aren’t as practical as sedans and are usually a purely emotional choice.

Have a look at a photo gallery of the concept after the jump.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 09:52:10 +0800.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the REAL mother trucker! The most powerful truck in the world as of today is the new Volvo FH16, which can proudly display a 700 horsepower badge thanks to its D16G engine, which puts out a massive 700 horsepower and 3,150Nm of torque in its highest state of tune. The 16 liter engine is also Euro 5 compliant, which is important since that regulation will come into force in October this year.

“The Volvo FH16 is intended for the very heaviest and most demanding of transport operations. It is also a highly prestigious truck for the customer who is looking for something truly out of the ordinary. Now, with 700 hp, the Volvo FH16 sets itself apart from everything else in the industry,” says Staffan Jufors, President and CEO of Volvo Trucks, clearly very proud of the new truck.

Despite the power increase, Volvo has rated the new 700 horsepower truck to consume the same amount of fuel as the previous edition which puts out 660hp. The FH16 is also available in 540hp and 600hp versions, which come with 2,650Nm or 2,800Nm of torque respectively.

These kind of trucks are a rare sight in Malaysia. There aren’t that many uses for such a powerful engine, plus it could be that our displacement-tied tax structure forces some people who want to save ob road tax costs to use underpowered trucks for hauling way more than they were designed for. That is why you can see trucks stranded on a slope sometimes, usually thanks to a burned out clutch from the strain they have to pull.

Look after the jump for a video of the truck in action.

Video: 700 horsepower Volvo FH16

Click for enlarged image

Click for enlarged image

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 09:52:10 +0800.

Volvo is the latest car manufacturer with a new high-powered twin turbodiesel engine that has good power, loads of torque and at the same time, low emissions and good fuel economy. The new Volvo D5 inline-5 twin-turbodiesel has 2.4 liters of displacement and uses two differently sized turbochargers installed in a sequential arrangement to produce 205hp and 420Nm of torque, while achieving 45.6mpg and 164g/km of emissions, meeting Euro 5 standards.

The formula is a well-known and used one, a small turbocharger to rapidly spool up and provide lag-free boost from idle that hands over the job to a larger turbocharger at higher revs, up to 1.8 bar of boost. It also allows using exhaust gas recirculation over a wider range than before, helping reduce harmful emissions. Fuel is delivered via piezoelectric fuel injectors, and the engine also uses ceramic glowplugs that improve cold-starts because they can reach 1000 degrees Celcius in just 2 seconds.

Another feature of the engine is the elimination of an oil dipstick for the owner to check his engine lubricant levels. Instead, an information display in the car shows the status of the engine oil and if it needs replenishing, the owner is even informed of exactly how much oil to pour in.

This new all-aluminium D5 twin turbodiesel engine will first be used in the Volvo S80 from mid-2009 onwards in the UK, but specs and price of the new twin turbodiesel S80 have not been revealed yet, only to be announced nearer to the showroom launch date.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 09:52:10 +0800.

Despite it’s BMW X6-like looks, this isn’t a crossover coupe kinda thing, it’s actually a C-segment executive sedan, set to be Volvo’s new weapon against the likes of the BMW 3-Series and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class. We’ll see it on the roads in 2010, but for now let’s have a look at the concept version.

Under the hood is a new 1.6 liter GTDi engine. GTDi stands for Gasoline Turbocharged Direct Injection and it can produce 180 horsepower from such a small displacement engine. The GTDi engine also has start-stop function, and is mated to a Powershift twin clutch transmission. CO2 emissions are rated at 119g/km and fuel consumption is pegged at 5.0 liters consumed per 100km travelled. Some technical features that help achieve this fuel consumption and also contribute to better aerodynamics are flat underbody panels, the use of lightweight materials, and a grille shutter which closes to reduce air drag whenever there is less need for air cooling.

The exterior is clearly derived from the aggressive styling of the Volvo XC60, but there are little touches here and there which make you feel they really paid attention to detail with the car. For example, the headlamps have Scandinavian influences in it. Apparently they create the image of two miniature Viking longboats sailing side by side, one for the main beam and one for the dipped beam. This will probably be dropped in the production version for a conventional projector and reflector combination.

Volvo says the lines on the car do not end abruptly but instead flows continuously from the front to the end of the car, inspired by fast sweeps of a race track. The X6-like stance is probably due to the large 7-spoke wheels which are 20 inches in size and wrapped with low profile tyres. Hiding behind the wheel spokes are brake calipers which are painted bronze to match the exterior “Warm Liquid Copper” colour.

The interior is much more experimental, and according to Volvo Cars design director Steve Mattin, it indicates Volvo’s future interior design direction. The floating center stack has been revealed previously and is made of solid Orrefors crystal, but we probably won’t see such luxury in the production version. This center stack flows from the instrument panel all the way to the rear seat’s backrest.

Anyway, enough of the design details, as sometimes a designer’s justification of the themes that inspired his design does not make sense. Let’s have a look at the safety features that Volvo has built into the new Volvo S60 Concept. which hopefully will cross over to the production model, or another production Volvo at least if they are too expensive to include with a C-segment car.

Volvo has allowed the car to automatically brake to avoid collisions with the car in front of you if the difference of speed between the two vehicles is less than 25km/h. This is because apparently studies show that half of all drivers who hit another vehicle from behind do not brake prior to the collision.

In an emergency, the driver gets an audible warning with a white flashing light in the windscreen’s HUD. It looks like a flashing brake light coming on in front. This is an enhancement over the current system found in cars such as the S80 where a light on top of the dash flashes, but now its changed to a flashing in the heads-up display. If the driver does not respond to this warning and collision is imminent, the car brakes with full braking power. However the main idea is still to warn the driver of the impending collision and let him take evasive action on his own, with the auto brake to be used only at the very last minute as a last resort.

View a collection of hi-res photos and a video after the jump.

Photo Gallery: Volvo S60 Concept

Video: Volvo S60 Concept

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 09:52:10 +0800.

The Volvo S80L joins a handful of vehicles that have been stretched to suit Chinese market tastes. The S80L is essentially a long wheelbase version of the Volvo S80. It is a full 140mm longer than a standard S80, with all the extra length dedicated to increasing rear legroom. The Volvo S80L will be built at the CFMA Chongqing plant in China. It’s peers will be the likes of the Audi A6L and the E60 BMW 5-Series long wheelbase.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 09:52:10 +0800.

The SAIC rumour came about last week, reported by publications which were quoting unnamed sources. According to reports, Ford is hoping the Volvo sale can fetch £4 billion, which is less than the £4.4 billion sum it paid for Volvo in 1999. SAIC could do perform some front wheel drive platform sharing magic between MG and Ford.

Ford refused to comment on the talks when contacted by members of the media. “We will not comment on speculation or rumors, nor will we comment on regular business discussions that we have with our partners,” Ford said in a statement. Changan is Ford’s partner in China, and makes some Fords and Mazdas in China under one of its subsidiaries. It also assembles the Volvo S40 in China.

Another Chinese automaker Dongfeng Motor Group is also mildly interested in acquiring any assets the Detroit Three may dump for cheap. You may have noticed Dongfeng trucks in Malaysia. But Dongfeng is only monitoring the situation at best, and it’s too early to say if it would buy any assets.

Related Posts:
Volvo trucks doesn’t want Volvo cars if Ford sells

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 09:52:10 +0800.

It was previously speculated that the Swedish government may be interested, but what about Volvo (the industrial group whose businesses include making Volvo trucks) themselves? Volvo sold Volvo Cars to Ford in 1999. But it seems that they’re not interested in revisiting the past. They’ve come out and said that they “absolutely do not want to buy Volvo Cars”, quoted verbatim from their chairman Finn Johnsson in a report from Swedish financial daily Dagens Industri.

However Volvo has stated they would gladly gladly finance joint projects such as sponsor projects or R&D projects, and could consider being part of various consortiums without actually being the main owner.

They’ve also publicly opposed calls for the Swedish government to take over Volvo because according to them, the government knows nothing about the car industry and Volvo needs a owner that has the ability to work on increasing sales and cooperate with suppliers on components and development.

Johnsson suggested Renault as a good potential owner.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 09:52:10 +0800.

Volvo Cars has released a teaser image of the Volvo S60 Concept that’s set to make a public debut at the 2009 Detroit Motor Show in January 2009. A view of the concept’s all-white interior was unveiled earlier, which featured a center dash stack made of crystal crafted by Orrefors.

The S60 Concept features a coupe-like silhouette and the design of the shoulder line pays homage to the likes of the Audi A5 and Hyundai Elantra as in it has a wave-like shape extending from the front headlamp to the rear taillamp. Volvo Cars says is inspired by the cliffs and seas of Volvo’s home country, Sweden.

“We both can and dare to deliver even more exciting and more dynamic designs while retaining our grip on the lead position with regard to safety. The concept car shows part of our future, it’s a hint that the all-new S60 will be one of the strongest contenders in the CD premium segment. The concept car’s design gives a visual promise of enthusiastic driving characteristics and I can assure you that the all-new S60 will deliver a sporty drive like no Volvo before,” says Stephen Odell, President and CEO at Volvo Cars.

We’re definitely waiting in anticipation, Steve! This 2009 concept will preview a production version which will make a debut for the 2010 model year.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 09:52:10 +0800.

Instead, Bond goes on to drive a few SUVs from the Ford group of marques, though the makers did try to “balance” them out with a fuel efficient small car.

Let’s have a look at the cars of the Quantum Solace.

Aston Martin DBS

The Aston Martin DBS replaces the Vanquish V12 as the new flagship of the marque. The GT is powered by a 6.0 liter V12 engine producing 510 horsepower at 6,500rpm and 569Nm of torque at 5,750rpm. It also had carbon ceramic disc brakes, which is a first for a road-going Aston Martin.

Everyone probably looked forward to seeing this in action the most. It’s expected really, since the DBS is pure Aston Martin design language, which is possibly the sexiest of all with all the right curves and lines in all the right places. Plus the DBS was also first revealed to the public in Casino Royale (though they were actually reskinned DB9s), and only made a public physical appearance a year later at Pebble Beach 2007.

The vehicles in the Bond movie is probably a deal with Ford, so I suspect the Aston Martin DBS got KO-ed so early because Aston Martin is no longer part of the Ford group. The movie opens with a car chase scene with plenty of flying bullets, and Bond in the DBS is being chased by delicious-looking Alfa 159s. The 159s end up getting wrecked of course, that’s not even a spoiler as it’s so predictable.

Alfa Romeo 159

While we have to be content here with Sime Darby Auto Connexxion still flogging the 156 (though the 159 is promised soon), its successor has been on sale since 2005, long enough for the producers of Quantum of Solace to buy a few and destroy them in a heated car chase scene in Italy.

The 159 is available in both front wheel drive and Q4 all-wheel drive configuration, with the top of the line being the JTS Q4 powered by a 3.2 liter V6 engine putting out 260 PS at 6,200rpm and 322Nm of torque, though most Europeans may opt for the 2.4 JTDM turbodiesel with 210 PS and 400Nm of torque instead.

Jaguar Daimler Double-Six

Villain Dominic Greene (apparently inspired by Nicolas Sarkozy and Tony Blair) sometimes rides in a big Daimler Double-Six whenever he’s bored of his silent hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. Greene Planet for a “Greener” planet, he says?

Range Rover Sport

This is one of the two SUVs featured in the movie, but this one’s powered by a regular combustion engine, and a powerful one at that. The Range Rover Sport isn’t just a Range Rover with a powerful engine, its actually a completely different and smaller vehicle based on the Discovery.

It’s powered by a 390 PS 4.2 liter Jaguar V8 supercharged engine, though a normally aspirated version was also previous available but since dropped due to lack of popularity. It’s also rather infamous – it seems that it was made a target of Greenpeace protests in 2005 because it was such an inefficient vehicle.

The Range Rover is piloted by a certain “Miss Fields” and later by Bond.

Ford Ka

The Ford Ka is the Bond Girl’s car. Olga Kurylenko plays Camille, the leading lady picks Bond up in her golden Ford Ka – who wants to bet a special edition will be sold by Ford in a similiar golden paint in a movie tie-up? A similiar scene is repeated later in a classic Volkswagen Beetle… I’m pretty sure Volkswagen didn’t pay for that!

The Ka is even smaller than the Ford Fiesta and in its original iteration it was truly low-cost in the sense that Ford even resorted to using a 1.3 liter Ford Kent pushrod engine under its hood. The new Ka has Italian origins – its based on Fiat Panda/500 underpinings and uses modern petrol and diesel engines.

Volvo S40

Bond drives a Volvo S40 rental car in Austria. The facelifted Volvo S40 was recently launched in Malaysia in locally assembled form and offers European premium motoring at a price of under RM200,000. Though it’s one size smaller, those considering Japanese 2.4 liter D-segment cars but don’t really need the space should consider it.

Ford Edge powered by Hydrogen

The Ford Edge is a crossover SUV but no real hydrogen-powered version of it currently exists, though Ford has announced a “HySeries Drive” version that combines electric drive powered by either an on-board hydrogen fuel cell or lithium ion batteries that have plug-in charging capabilities.

In the movie, the Edge is part of a fleet of green vehicles owned by the villain’s company Greene Planet. Bond ends up driving one of these, and this just so happens to take place in a desert where the fuel cell’s pure water exhaust would be most appreciated.

So what’s your favourite vehicle in the movie, and what did you think of the movie? My favourite is of course the Aston Martin DBS and I didn’t think any of the other cars had very much of a stage presence except for the Range Rover Sport.

Click to enlarge

Click to enlarge

PHOTO GALLERY: Aston Martin DBS
Click thumbnails to view high resolution photo

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 09:52:10 +0800.

Volvo will be unveiling a concept version that will form the basis for its next generation Volvo S60 next year at the Detroit International Motor Show, but it wants to teaser us first with this shot of the interior. That glassy material that the center dash stack is made of is actually crystal, crafted by 110-year old company Orrefors.

Interestingly, the crystal stack extends all the way to the rear passenger bench, effectively turning the car into a 4-seater. Its not known whether the S60 will end up being one of those 4-seater coupe-sedans or not, but probably not as Volvo has indicated in the past that the new S60 will be a proper premium C-segment contender to face the 3-Series, A4 and the C-Class. And that brings us to the S40… what is it exactly? It seems the current 2nd gen facelifted S40 will continue positioned lower in the market.

One interesting bit you can see in the concept interior is the gear lever, which seems to be L-shaped like a fighter jet’s throttle. This is the automatic mode where you shift it into P-R-N-D, etc. You can actually flip the gear lever up so it stands up vertically instead of being a horizontal L-shape. In this mode, you can use the lever to manually shift the car.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 09:52:10 +0800.

Volvo has unveiled a “greener” version of the Volvo XC60 SUV that emits less than 170g/km of CO2 emissions. The new variant of the XC60 reduces fuel consumption and emissions by having a front wheel drive drivetrain instead of a heavier all-wheel drive system and an improved Euro5 compliant 2.4 liter diesel engine.

The new diesel engine has an additional 12 horsepower and 80Nm of torque over the previous version for a total of 175 horses and 420Nm of torque. This is thanks to reduced internal friction and pumping losses in the engine, increased pressure in the intake and exhaust system, increased injection pressure and a refined fuel-injection system thanks to new Piezo injectors.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 09:52:10 +0800.

Volvo Car Malaysia has launched the new 3-door Volvo C30 in Malaysia, which Volvo says is a modern interpretation of the Volvo P1800 ES combined with styling cues from the Volvo Safety Concept car. Read more about the new C30 after the jump.

Under the hood is a similiar 2.4 liter inline-5 engine from the S40 producing 170 horsepower at 6,000rpm and 230Nm of torque at 4,400rpm. It goes up to a top speed of 215km/h, and gets up to 100km/h in 8.8 seconds. Shifting is via a 5-speed Geartronic automatic transmission with the option for manual sequential shifting.

The car is a four-seater as there is no flat rear bench but two individual seats. The space between the seats is filled up with an armrest. However folding down these two individual seats creates a flat floor for easy loading.

Being a Volvo, safety features include four-wheel ABS, DSTC traction control, Volvo’s Intelligent Driver Information System (IDIS) which continuously monitors the car’s steering wheel angle, and pedal positions, and the optional Blind Spot Information System or BLIS, which uses cameras in the wing mirrors to detect objects in your blindspot and warn you about them via indicators on the A-pillar. The IDIS system basically monitors various driver inputs and flashes a warning lamp indicator when the car thinks the driver is in danger.

Standard equipment level includes a multi active air filter with sensor for the air conditioning, a volume sensor, level sensor, soft loadcover for the rear luggage compartment, a 6-CD changer, power seats for the driver and passenger, leather upholstery, a 3-spoke steering wheel done in aluminium and leather, cruise control, rain sensors for wipers, auto dimming rear view mirror, cruise control, rear park assist, and 17 inch Mestra Wheels.

The Mestra wheels can be changed to Zaurak Chrome wheels, Zaurak Silver Bright Wheels, Scotia Polished wheels, Spartacus Silver Bright Wheels, and Serapis Silver Bright wheels. All of them are 17 inches in size.

Interior trim can be had with either aluminium, virtual white or light oak wood. For the exterior, 17 colours are available including 3 solid colours which are Black Stone, Passion Red, and Ice White. The metallic colours are Silver, Black Sapphire, Titanium, Barents Blue, Brilliant Blue, Electric Silver, Maple Red, Orinoco Blue, Cosmic White, Gecho Green, Matt Gold, Chameleon Blue, and Savile Grey.

It is priced at RM215,500 OTR without insurance.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 09:52:10 +0800.

Volvo Car Malaysia will be launching the new Volvo C30 hatchback this Monday the 23rd. Initially only the 2.4i model will be offered, which features a 2.4 liter inline-5 engine producing 170 horsepower at 6,000rpm and 230Nm of torque at 4,400rpm. This engine is mated to a 5-speed Geartronic transmission. It will retail for RM215,500 OTR without insurance, fully imported. More details on Wednesday.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 09:52:10 +0800.

If you buy a Volvo Navigation System (seems decent as it is based on Garmin GPS products), you will get a Volvo Parking Assistance Camera worth RM1850 for free. The VNS LCD screen displays a rear view feed from the Parking Assistance Camera on the rear of the car, along with virtual lines to act as a guide for the driver to park.

Selected Volvo accessories including bodykits, spoiloers, mouldings and other accessories like front parking assistance, neck cushions, lockable wheel nuts, running boards, rubber or textile mats and others have a 20% discount.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 09:52:10 +0800.