Volvo

If you ever though that a Volvo couldn't be sexy, prepare to be surprised. Nouphone J. Bansasine designed this slick 2015 Volvo S90 concept during his internship at the Volvo Monitoring and Concept Center--birthplace of the XC90, S80, S60, and the Safety Concept Car that would become the current Volvo C30--and it's probably the sweetest looking Volvo that we've ever seen.

The S90 has the four-door coupe profile that is so very popular with automakers these days, but it has what appear to be rear suicide doors, a la Mazda RX-8 or Mini Clubman. At the … Read more

NEW YORK--U.S. leaders of Europe's luxury brands say the time may be right to offer premium-badged small cars here.

BMW is considering selling a front-drive car slotted below the 1 series in this country. Mercedes may offer its next-generation B class in the United States.

Audi and Volvo say they're watching the trends and considering similar vehicles.

The small BMW has been approved for production, although timing is unclear. It will break from the company's rear-drive tradition by sharing a platform with the front-drive Mini.

"We have a couple of challenges in front of us,&… Read more

Rounding the a bend on a windy backroad, I was greeted by the familiar tail lamps of a 2010 Mazdaspeed3, fitting as the 2011 Volvo C30 R-Design that I was piloting shares its Ford C1 platform with the Mazda3. Weeks earlier, on a similar road, the Mazdaspeed had scared the crap out of me with its turbo lag and snap torque steer. My current ride was down about 50 horsepower from the Mazda, but felt about as surefooted with more predictable power delivery. In a classic case of "less is more," I was able to hang fairly close … Read more

INDIANAPOLIS--Early in the development of the C30 electric car, Volvo Car Corp. decided that the C30's batteries would not have to be capable of quick charging in three hours or less. The Volvo C30 would be charged for 6 to 8 hours overnight, using standard household current.

Market realities drove the decision. Volvo plans to market the C30 only in Europe for now, and the European Union has yet to agree on quick-charging standards.

"For the time being, the volume is all for Europe," Lennart Stegland, president of Volvo's Special Vehicles unit, told reporters at a … Read more

Volvo's got a new infotainment system to keep the kids (or adults) busy in the back seat.

The automaker said its 2010 Volvo XC70 vehicle will make its entrance at the Chicago Auto Show Thursday with a new rear-seat entertainment system. Sporting Windows XP, Wi-Fi, and a 500GB hard drive, the RSEi-500 system will let backseat passengers surf the Web, check e-mail, listen to music, and watch TV and movies.

To view content, passengers can wirelessly connect to the in-car system from their personal PCs to transfer video, audio, and other files. While on the road, people can plug … Read more

DETROIT--We've seen a growing number of electric cars at auto shows over the last few years, but the 2010 Detroit show has more electrics from major brands than ever before. It is true that most are concepts, but it points to the fact that automakers are preparing for the future.

Nissan and Mitsubishi both had production-ready cars on display, models slated to launch later this year. Tesla also had a significant display at the show, with its Model S sedan showing the company can produce practical electric car with space for family and friends. Audi showed a new version … Read more

Everyone is saying ENOUGH to driving while distracted; Volvo announces a plug in hybrid, while Mini wonders how to charge them; Chrysler gets rid of the book we never read, but always wanted; and we go for a ride in a really affordable performance car you wouldn't have taken seriously a few years ago.

• U.S. to hold a summit on driving while distracted--soon a stigma equal to drunk driving?

• Volvo promises its first plug-in hybrid, in showrooms by 2012… Read more

Jumping in on a growing trend among automakers, Volvo announced that it will offer a plug-in hybrid car as early as 2012. Although a picture of a V70 plug-in hybrid concept was included with the announcement, Volvo hasn't confirmed which model it would use for this technology. In the past, the company has also shown a C30 concept with a plug-in hybrid power train.

But Volvo did specify the type of power train it would use for the car. The announcement describes a parallel hybrid, meaning drive power is provided by electric motors, an internal combustion engine, or both. … Read more

Volvo Cars has announced that, in addition to developing a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, it has an all-electric version of the C30 hatchback in the works. The electric variant will be called the C30 BEV (battery electric vehicle) and will be the automaker's first all-electric vehicle.

The C30 BEV will replace the internal-combustion engine with an electric motor of indeterminate output. Meanwhile, the gasoline tank will be dropped in favor of a lithium ion battery pack. Volvo states that it is still working on the best placement of the 24 kWh battery pack, but has stated that the center … Read more