Polestar wins the FIA World Touring Car Championship, and releases special editions to celebrate.

Polestar celebrates winning the FIA World Touring Car Championship with Volvo S60 and V60 Polestar Performance World Champion Editions

Last week, Polestar Cyan Racing won the FIA World Touring Car Championship in a Volvo S60 Polestar TC1 race car, and the team’s Thed Björk secured the Driver’s Championship – the first Swede ever to win a motor racing world title. Polestar has today unveiled the Volvo S60 and V60 Polestar Performance World Champion Edition to celebrate Polestar Cyan Racing’s win.

“The engineers from Polestar and Cyan Racing have worked collaboratively on engineering developments for existing Polestar road cars for many years. It’s therefore fitting that we celebrate the remarkable achievement of securing our maiden World Championship by adding more performance to the cars that have been instrumental this season. With the Volvo S60 and V60 Polestar Performance World Champion Editions, we’ve created an accessible piece of history for many Volvo car owners,” said Christian Samson, responsible for Product and Development at Polestar.

The Volvo S60 and V60 Polestar Performance World Champion Editions are available on all D4, D5, T5 and T6 models and include all available enhancements offered by the Polestar Performance Parts programme, being the 19” bespoke Polestar light alloy wheels plus performance-focused tyres, a free-flow stainless-steel exhaust system and sports air filter as well as uprated suspension dampers and springs. Visually, the car is differentiated internally thanks to interior highlights such as the Polestar gear lever, and exterior details such as a rear diffusor and rear spoiler.

All cars also receive the Polestar powertrain optimisation that increases power by up to 10hp and 50Nm of torque, as well as delivering faster gearshifts and improved throttle response.

The Volvo S60 and V60 Polestar Performance World Champion Editions are available from any Polestar retailer globally, where the Polestar Performance Parts can be fitted to new or pre-owned cars. For more information, visit: engineered.polestar.com

Volvo announces that it has the achieved teh brands highest ever residules for the 90 Series.

• Volvo S90, V90 and XC90 have all received the brand's highest-ever residual values in their respective segments*
• New XC60 also receives competitive figures from CAP HPI following UK pricing announcement
• Figures underscore Volvo's transformation into a true premium competitor

Record residual values are helping establish Volvo's new 90 series cars in the highly competitive premium marketplace. 

As the first models introduced in the transformation of Volvo's product range, the premium S90 saloon, V90 estate and XC90 SUV all benefit from beautiful exterior and interior design, and feature the latest connected and semi-autonomous technologies as standard. According to automotive data experts CAP HPI, each model is benefiting from the strongest residual values Volvo has ever seen in its respective segment. 

The new XC90 continues to perform strongly within its segment, with CAP HPI's Gold Book in May reporting that the XC90 D5 PowerPulse Momentum will be worth 48.7% of its original price after three years and 60,000 miles. 

This puts it ahead of the 46.8%, 43.5% and 42.1% for the equivalent Audi Q7, BMW X5 and Mercedes-Benz GLE respectively. 

The V90, meanwhile, is highly competitive against its premium estate rivals for both D4 Momentum and Inscription variants. CAP HPI forecasts that the entry-level D4 Momentum will be worth 41.2% of its original price after 36 months and 60,000 miles, compared with 42.5%, 40.5% and 36.1% for the equivalently specified Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate, BMW 5 Series Touring and Audi A6 Avant respectively. The V90 Inscription fares even better, at 41.8%. 

In the executive saloon segment, the S90 D4 Momentum, which has marked a giant step forward for Volvo in this area of the market, fares competitively against models that have previously dominated the sector. CAP HPI forecasts that the model will be worth 39.8% of its original price after three years and 60,000 miles, putting it right in the heart of its segment, with respective values of 41.8%, 40.9% and 36.2% for the equivalent Mercedes-Benz E-Class, BMW 5 Series and Audi A6. 

The news will be welcome for individuals and companies looking to run a new S90, V90 or XC90, with strong residuals translating into highly competitive monthly lease costs. 

Graeme Oswald, Remarketing and Total Cost of Ownership Manager, Volvo Car UK, said: "Residual values are the cornerstone for every car in the leasing sector. Every element of the 90 series has been developed with the corporate buyer in mind, and their ultra-competitive values have been helped by our listening and responding to feedback from fleet buyers and their drivers." 

This success looks set to carry forward to the firm's future models, too. Following the official announcement of UK prices and specifications, the long-awaited new XC60 SUV has already received strong values from CAP HPI forecasts, with a 10-percentage-point increase over its predecessor. The outgoing XC60 D4 SE Nav AWD is currently forecast to be worth 35.2% of its original price after 36 months and 60,000 miles, while the new XC60 D4 AWD Momentum receives an equivalent value of 45.6%. 

Volvo Car UK is increasing its popular Twin Engine range with the addition of a new V60 variant.

Volvo Car UK is increasing its popular Twin Engine range with the addition of a new V60 variant that will appeal to business drivers thanks to its highly competitive economic and environmental benefits.

The V60 D5 Twin Engine offers business owners and company car drivers a unique combination of luxury, economy and tax efficiency. 

Introduced to the market in May 2016, Volvo’s V60 D5 Twin Engine has CO₂emissions of just 48g/km and qualifies for a Government plug-in car grant of £2,500, as well as a 100% first year writing down allowance and an incredibly low Benefit-in-Kind (BIK) rate of just 7% this year.

The popularity of Volvo’s plug-in electric hybrid vehicles is demonstrated by the XC90 T8 Twin Engine’s sales figures, which have already exceeded year-to-date sales expectations for 2016 by nearly 10%. From the total of XC90 T8s sold in the UK so far, 57% of them have been fleet orders, split evenly across the Momentum, R-Design and Inscription trim levels.

Commercial print and packaging business, Elanders UK, recently placed an order for six V60 D5 Twin Engines, also taking an XC90 T8 onto their fleet. “The D5 Twin Engine version of Volvo’s V60 made such a strong impression with myself and the team that it instantly became the front-runner in our choice of new vehicles,” comments Chris Hewitt, managing director of Elanders UK.

“At Elanders, we strive to operate our business in the most ethical, safe and environmentally responsible way. Volvo’s Twin Engine technology combines the benefits of a pure electric drive, high performance and great fuel economy, making the V60 D5 and XC90 T8 the perfect choices for our fleet cars,” adds Hewitt.

The V60 has been an especially popular choice with fleet and company car drivers since the introduction of the D2 Business Edition and the D6 Twin Engine models to the V60 family. The V60 D5 Twin Engine sits comfortably in the C/D segment, offering unrivalled benefits to the driver when compared with its class rivals.

Car purchased	Recommended Retail Price	Government Plug-in Car Grant	Effective asset value (once Government Plug-in Car Grant is applied)	Writing down allowance		Corporation tax relief	Corporation tax relief at 20%
				(%)	(£)
D5 Twin Engine SE  Nav	£37,500.00	£2,500.00	£35,000.00	100%	£35,000.00	20%	£7,000.00
Competitor car over 75g/km CO2	£37,500.00	n/a	£37,500.00	18% per annum	£6,750.00	20%	£1,350.00

“The V60 blends all the essential work- and home-life features, including power and efficiency, class-leading safety systems and connective technology, striking the perfect balance for company car users,” comments Selwyn Cooper, head of business sales for Volvo Car UK. “The addition of the V60 D5 Twin Engine will only increase the V60’s appeal for business users, thanks to its impressive CO₂ and tax figures, and build on our global electrification strategy of introducing other plug-in hybrid vehicles to our range.”

Volvo Cars announces pricing and specification for the All-New S90 Saloon and V90 Estate.

• S90 priced from £32,555 (OTR); V90 from £34,555 (OTR)
• Tax-efficient D4 diesel version has CO₂ emissions of just 116g/km (S90) or 119g/km (V90)
• Luxurious specification as standard, including 9” touch screen, satellite navigation, leather upholstery, LED headlights and access to cloud-based apps
• Pilot Assist semi-autonomous drive function fitted as standard to every S90 and V90

The new Volvo S90 and V90 are now available to order in the UK, with on-the-road prices starting at £32,555 for the S90 saloon and £34,555 for the V90 estate.

The S90 and V90 are the latest models to be built on Volvo’s all-new Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) platform and benefit from Volvo’s ground-breaking Drive-E powertrains. Like the XC90 before them, they feature the new face of Volvo, including the T-shaped LED headlights that make them instantly recognisable.

Both models will initially be available with a choice of two 2.0-litre, four-cylinder diesel engines – the tax-efficient D4 and the powerful and refined D5 PowerPulse – and in two trim levels, Momentum and Inscription.

The front-wheel-drive 190 hp D4 comes with an eight-speed automatic gearbox, and offers combined fuel consumption of 64.2 mpg and CO₂ emissions of just 116 g/km in the S90. In the V90, these figures are 62.8 mpg and 119 g/km.

The 235 hp D5 utilises an innovative technology called PowerPulse to boost responsiveness. This uses compressed air, which is stored in a tank in the engine bay and refilled automatically, to spool up the turbo at low revs. This helps to overcome turbo lag, which is the short delay in the power delivery you experience in traditional turbocharged engines. To harness the engine’s power, the D5 PowerPulse comes with all-wheel drive. An eight-speed automatic gearbox is also standard.

Every version of the S90 and V90 is luxuriously equipped. As standard, even entry-level Momentum cars come with leather upholstery, LED headlights with active high beam, two-zone climate control with ‘CleanZone’ air-filtration system, keyless engine starting and heated front seats.

Volvo’s Sensus infotainment system is also standard. This brings a 9” touch screen, satellite navigation (including lifetime annual map updates), a sophisticated voice-control system, and access to the internet and a range of cloud-based apps such as TuneIn, Stitcher and Yelp.

The S90 gets a powered bootlid, too, while the V90 benefits from a powered tailgate.

Pilot Assist, Volvo’s innovative semi-autonomous drive feature, is standard on every S90 and V90. It automatically keeps you at a set speed or distance from the vehicle in front, braking and accelerating with the flow of traffic, and gives gentle steering inputs to keep the car within lane markings at motorway speeds up to 80 mph. Unlike previous versions of the system, it no longer needs to follow another car. Pilot Assist is another step towards fully autonomous driving.

The latest version of City Safety is also fitted to every S90 and V90. This includes automatic emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, and the world-first application of large-animal detection. This feature helps to avoid or limit the severity of collisions with large animals such as deer or horses both at night and during the day.

Moving up to Inscription adds Nappa soft leather upholstery, powered front seats, a 12.3” active TFT driver’s information display (Momentum cars get an 8” version), 18” diamond-cut/silver alloy wheels, keyless entry and handsfree boot/tailgate opening and closing. Additional premium touches include walnut interior inlays, rear footwell and side step illumination, and chrome exterior details.

The optional Xenium package is available across the range and adds a powered tilt and slide glass sunroof (panoramic in the V90), a parking camera system with 360^o surround view, and Park Assist Pilot, which includes automatic parallel and 90^o parking.

Apple CarPlay is another option and allows you to access certain functions of your Apple device and CarPlay-optimised apps directly via the car’s touch screen, voice control system or the buttons on the steering wheel. Also available is the exceptional Bowers and Wilkins premium sound system, which offers no less than 18 speakers and an output of 1,400W.

Both models are available to order now, with the first S90 customer deliveries expected in September and the first V90s in October.

S90	Trim level	HP	Nm	Combined fuel economy (mpg)	CO2(g/km)	BIK 2016-17 (%)	On-the-road price	P11D value
D4	Momentum	190	400	64.2	116	23	£32,555.00	£32,500.00
D4	Inscription	190	400	64.2	116	23	£35,555.00	£35,500.00
D5 AWD	Momentum	235	480	58.9	127	25	£39,555.00	£39,500.00
D5 AWD	Inscription	235	480	58.9	127	25	£42,055.00	£42,000.00

V90	Trim level	HP	Nm	Combined fuel economy (mpg)	CO2(g/km)	BIK 2016-17 (%)	On-the-road price	P11D value
D4	Momentum	190	400	62.8	119	23	£34,555.00	£34,500.00
D4	Inscription	190	400	62.8	119	23	£37,555.00	£37,500.00
D5 AWD	Momentum	235	480	57.6	129	25	£41,555.00	£41,500.00
D5 AWD	Inscription	235	480	57.6	129	25	£44,055.00	£44,000.00