Volvo see's sales, revenues and profits all raise in the first half of the year, January-June

Volvo Cars, the premium car maker, has reported strong growth in operating profit of SEK6.8bn in the first half of 2017, compared with SEK5.6bn for the same period last year, after taking market share across Europe and experiencing a robust sales increase in China.

Revenues rose to SEK99.1bn from SEK84.2bn in the first six months of 2016, while the operating profit margin improved to 6.8 per cent from 6.6 per cent a year earlier, even as the company continues to invest heavily in new cars and technologies.

Sales for the first six months of the year increased 8.2 per cent compared with the same period last year to 277,641 cars. The first-half increase in sales means Volvo Cars remains firmly on course for a fourth consecutive record year.

“We have reported strong profits at the same time as making ongoing investments in our transformation,” said Håkan Samuelsson, president and chief executive. “Our momentum continues to build.”

During the first half of 2017, the company took market share in the EMEA region, following healthy growth in several key markets. Sales were up by 6.6 per cent during the period.

In the Asia Pacific region and China in particular, Volvo outperformed the market. Sales in the region increased by 22.6 per cent, while China sales were up 27.6 per cent.

In the US, Volvo Cars expects to report solid full-year growth after a strong second half of the year. Delivery constraints affected first-quarter sales, but a return to growth during the second quarter and the impending start of delivery of the new XC60 mid-size SUV point to a stronger finish.

“Globally, we expect the pace of growth generated in the first half of the year to continue. We are confident we will report another record year in terms of sales,” said Mr. Samuelsson.

Later this year, Volvo Cars will launch its all-new XC40, its first entry into the fast-growing small premium SUV segment, completing the company’s SUV line-up

Testing continues for the "Hot" Hyundai i30N, ready to take part in the Nürburgring 24 hours.

• Following the extreme weather testing in Sweden with Thierry Neuville, the Hyundai i30 N prototype gets tested on the most challenging roads in the UK
• When developing the i30 N, Hyundai Motor’s engineers focus on creating the maximum driving fun and responsiveness in everyday life, as well as on the track
• Two modified i30 N vehicles will enter the ADAC Zurich 24-hour race at the Nürburgring end of May 

The Hyundai i30 N is continuing its intensive development through numerous tests by Hyundai engineers. Following the recent winter test in Sweden with Thierry Neuville, World Rally Championship driver of Hyundai Motorsport, the i30 N has now completed its testing programme on the most challenging roads in the UK. 

With the i30 N, Hyundai Motor will launch its first high performance model carrying the ‘N’ logo. Based on the New Generation Hyundai i30, the i30 N is developed from the ground up to deliver maximum fun to drive on the road and on the track. 

The ‘N’ stands for Namyang, Hyundai Motor’s global R&D Centre, and for the Nürburgring, one of the most demanding race tracks in the world and home to Hyundai Motor’s European Test Centre. The ‘N’ logo resembles a chicane, representing the ultimate driving experience on winding roads. 

In the UK, the i30 N prototype was tested on public roads by Hyundai Motor’s engineers to fine-tune and check the current status of development, focusing on the car’s adaptive suspension and different drive modes. 

“We are getting closer and closer to the final development stage of the i30 N,” said Albert Biermann, Executive Vice President and Head of Vehicle Test & High Performance Development at Hyundai Motor Company. “The road testing serves to check if the driving performance of our first Hyundai N high performance car can meet our future customers’ requirements. 

We have to make sure that on these challenging UK roads the driving performance is also well suited to everyday use. There are plenty of fun and challenging corners out here – the N Team loves corners!” 

At the end of May, two close-to-production i30 N vehicles will enter the ADAC Zurich 24-hour race at the Nürburgring. Both cars will be competing with a 2.0-litre turbo engine and six-speed manual transmission – the same powertrain and transmission set-up that will be used in the production i30 N. The race will give Hyundai Motor’s engineers more valuable insights about necessary refinements and potential performance enhancements for the i30 N ahead of its launch this summer.

BAC and it's supercar the Mono, are taking over the Isle of Man for the next Customer Experience time.

• Briggs Automotive Company (BAC) is gearing up to bring Mono Mania to the Isle of Man from Thursday 11th – Sunday 14th May
• An army of 12 Monos will hit the island as part of a special customer experience weekend, comprising road and track driving with the full support of the Isle of Man Government
• The Isle of Man prides itself on offering the perfect setting for extreme sports, driving and cycling, and BAC will use its playground to full effect to allow customers to extract the best of both the setting and the car
• BAC enjoyed remarkable success with its inaugural Mono Experience trip in February, as customers took to the frozen lakes of Sweden 

Briggs Automotive Company (BAC) is preparing to host an extra-special experience weekend on the Isle of Man with an army of its One-of-a-Kind Mono supercars and valued customers. 

Fresh off the back of a hugely successful inaugural experience weekend on the frozen lakes of Sweden in March, BAC is taking over its Isle of Man playground and teaming up with the local Government to give its customers exclusive access to some of the best roads on the planet. 

The Isle of Man is one of the world’s most ideal locations for driving thanks to its all-weather terrain and remote mountain areas, and the Government has given full support to BAC by de-restricting and closing roads purely for customer enjoyment. 

As many as 12 of the road-legal, single-seater supercars and 20 clients – representing 10 countries around the world – will head to the island on Thursday 11 May for four unforgettable days of no holds barred Mono fun. 

Guests will be staying in the finest hotels on the island with the very best hospitality from BAC members of staff – including Co-Founders Neill and Ian Briggs – but the real appeal of the experience is sampling all the Mono has to offer on road and track. 

After settling in on the opening day, Friday 11 May will see BAC’s guests head to the Jurby Circuit, where they’ll receive expert guidance from the BAC team before letting loose on the tarmac. 

On Saturday, the Monos will descend to the picturesque south west coast of the island to enjoy fully marshalled driving on specially de-restricted and closed roads. The cars will then line up at Castletown ahead of a private lunch, before the team hit the iconic TT Course to enjoy the Mono in perfect Isle of Man surroundings. 

Only BAC could offer such a remarkable experience to its loyal and valued customers, as it takes pride in being more connected with its clients than any other supercar manufacturer. 

It’s forever giving back to those who gave the brand its phenomenal stature around the globe, and taking to the Isle of Man is one of many ways BAC is repaying its nearest and dearest. 

BAC Co-Founder and Director of Product Development, Neill Briggs, said: “When Ian and I first set about creating the Mono, we did so with the vision of sharing it with friends – giving them access to the purest driving experience in the world. 

Our trip to Sweden in March saw that dream become a reality, and we’re once again relishing being able to showcase our creation to those who share our vision. We work closely with the Isle of Man and are very excited to show everyone what this wonderful place has to offer; we’d also like to extend our thanks to the Government for making part of the trip possibly and allowing us to sample idyllic roads in the best car possible.” 

For full information on Isle of Man road closures, please see below 

Isle of Man Road Closure Information

Friday 12th May 

Jurby Raceway from 09:00 – 16:00 approx. 

Saturday 13th May 

A36 Sloc and Shoulder Road from a point just West of the entrance to the Scard Farm to the Round Table Crossroads - from 09:00 - 1400 

Castletown Market Square will be closed from 12:00 – 15:00 approx. to accommodate a vehicle display

The First Volvo XC60 rolls of the production lines in Sweden to carry on where the old model left off.

Production of Volvo Cars’ new XC60 mid-size SUV started today at the company’s Torslanda plant in Sweden. The first customer-bound car, a T5 AWD Inscription in Crystal White, rolled off the production line just before lunch time.

The new car replaces Volvo’s highly successful original XC60, which in the nine years since its launch became the best-selling premium mid-sized SUV in Europe, with nearly a million units sold globally. The XC60 today represents around 30 per cent of Volvo’s total global sales.

“This is a proud day for everyone at the plant,” said Magnus Nilsson, vice president of the Torslanda plant. “We have worked hard in recent weeks and months to prepare Torslanda for this latest new Volvo model, and now we are ready to start delivering new XC60s to customers.”

The XC60 is the fourth model based on Volvo’s in-house-developed SPA vehicle architecture, following the introduction of the top-of-the-line 90 series in recent years. The SPA-related investments in Sweden have had positive effects on employment at the company, with thousands of new jobs added in production, research and development, and other areas.

New comfort and safety technology

The new XC60, one of the safest cars ever made, is loaded with new technology. Steer Assist has been added to the ground-breaking City Safety system. A new safety system called Oncoming Lane Mitigation uses Steer Assist to help mitigate head-on collisions, while Volvo’s Blind Spot Information System (BLIS) now uses Steer Assist functionality to reduce the risk of lane-changing collisions.

Pilot Assist, Volvo’s advanced semi-autonomous driver-assistance system, which takes care of the steering, acceleration and braking on well-marked roads up to 130 km/h, is available in the new XC60 as an option.

The new XC60 offers Volvo’s award-winning T8 Twin Engine petrol plug-in hybrid at the top of the powertrain range, delivering 407 hp and acceleration from 0-100 km/h in just 5.3 seconds.

But it is not just under the bonnet that the new XC60 delivers healthy performance. The new CleanZone four-zone climate control system removes harmful pollutants and particles from outside the cabin to deliver Scandinavian-fresh air on the inside.

Volvo Cars’ driver infotainment and connected services offer, Sensus, and the Volvo On Call app both receive a graphical update with improved usability. As in the 90 series cars, smartphone integration with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay is also available.

With the new XC60 now on the market and gradually becoming available to order in markets across the globe, Volvo is set for another record year of sales in 2017.

A family from Kent have devised a very special goodbye to their beloved ŠKODA this Christmas.

• The Charnleys will travel to Lapland in their ŠKODA Octavia vRS for its final journey
• The journey will take three days across Northern Europe clocking up over 4,500 miles round trip
• The Octavia has been part of the Charnley family for two years

A family from Kent have devised a very special goodbye to their beloved ŠKODA this Christmas, embarking on a 4,696 round trip to Lapland. 

Chris and Gemma Charnley and their two sons Jake (10yrs) and Euan (8yrs) will be driving from their home in Maidstone, Kent, to Lapland as a final send off for their ŠKODA Octavia vRS, which will be traded in for a new model in the New Year.

To date, the Charnleys’ Octavia vRS has played the typical role of family car, with many special memories created, including holidays to Europe, collecting their dog for the first time, and countless school runs and collections following after school activities. 

Creating a memorable trip for their boys before saying goodbye to the faithful car for a ŠKODA Superb Sportline seemed like the perfect ending.

Their adventure started at 5am on Tuesday 20^th December with a drive through France, Belgium, and the Netherlands and into Bermen, Germany, just in time to catch the traditional Christmas market. 

They will then continue on to Denmark for the first night’s stay, before a 14-hour journey from Denmark, travelling north through Sweden for a stopover before the final day towards Lapland where they will spend Christmas.

ŠKODA owner, Chris Charnley, said: “We’ve had some amazing journeys with our ŠKODA Octavia vRS and it’s been an old faithful; always performing well and ensuring we deliver our most precious goods safely at the other end. 

Our trip to Lapland will definitely be one of the most memorable. Although we are sad to see it go, we are all excited to take delivery of our new Superb Sportline in the New Year. I’ve always been impressed with the brand and can’t wait to continue making family memories with our new ŠKODA.”

SWEDEN - The Swedish police force will be taking delivery of their new V90 Volvo's

The Swedish police will take delivery of its first V90 police cars early next year, after the car recently achieved the highest rating ever in the Swedish police’s highly demanding driving test.

The demands on emergency vehicles are higher than on normal road cars. On top of that, unlike in many other countries, in Sweden the police car is judged as a workplace. This means any car has to meet strict demands in areas such as performance, comfort, quality and ergonomics in order to qualify as a police car.

The Swedish police car test focuses on five areas: a brake test, an obstacle course, evasive action tests with and without braking, and high-speed emergency driving.

The overall score for the V90 was 9.2 out of 10, the highest rating ever achieved by any car in this demanding test.

The final test protocol on the V90 prepared by Swedish police test drivers concludes that “overall, it is difficult to find any faults at all. Chassis, steering, suspension, traction control and powertrain all show exemplary performance. Quick lane changes at high speeds feel almost deceptively easy, the car does what it is told to do and shakes off lateral forces without any protest.”

While the Swedish police will be the first to start using the V90, Volvo Cars sells its police cars in other countries as well. Other police forces that in recent years have used Volvos include Norway, Italy, the UK and the Netherlands. The V90, too, will be made available to any interested police forces around the globe.

With the V90 police car, Volvo takes the highly refined driving experience of the award-winning standard V90 to the next level. To transform the premium estate into a suitable emergency vehicle, the Volvo Car Special Products department further develops the car to meet the specific demands of police forces.

For instance, the chassis is made stronger and more dynamic, the brakes and suspension are improved, and the car is fully equipped with all necessary tools and communication equipment. It takes about a week to transform a standard V90 into a police car at Volvo Cars’ special manufacturing facility in Torslanda, Sweden.

Volvo Cars has a long history in providing police cars: as far back as 1929, Swedish police fought crime from behind the wheel of a Volvo. In the decades that followed, classic Volvos such as the Amazon and the 144 also served in police uniform. More recently, the XC70 and V70 estates have been used by police forces. The XC70, too, was the best police car ever tested by Swedish police at the time of its introduction.

Volvo launches the next stage of it's 90 Series cars, the V90 Cross Country.

Volvo Cars, the premium car maker, has unveiled the eagerly awaited V90 Cross Country, completing its 90 series line-up.

Since the introduction of the first Cross Country almost 20 years ago, Volvo Cars has become synonymous with the rugged all-road, all-weather product category, with a growing stable of Cross Country models.

Volvo Cars’ Cross Country models fulfil an increasingly important part of the Swedish brand’s product portfolio as luxury car buyers seek out a more experienced-based lifestyle that occasionally takes them off the beaten track.

“The V90 Cross Country takes the elegance of the V90 and transforms it into an all-road car that delivers safety, comfort and performance in a capable and adventurous package,” said Håkan Samuelsson, President & CEO, Volvo Car Group.

With some of the harshest winters on the planet and more than 77 per cent of the country covered in forest and lakes, Sweden is the natural place to develop and test extreme durability and all-weather-capable cars. This hard-won expertise represents a large part of Volvo Cars’ heritage, reflected in the company’s Cross Country model line-up.

“Our cars are well known for their safety, strength and durability. With All-Wheel Drive, increased ride height and a chassis optimised for comfort and control in all weather and road conditions, the new V90 Cross Country takes our versatile V90 estate and adds the heart of an explorer,” said Dr Peter Mertens, Senior Vice President Research & Development at Volvo Cars.

With Volvo Cars’ Scalable Product Architecture providing the underpinnings, the V90 Cross Country has undergone rigorous testing to ensure that it can survive the extremes in which it will ultimately find itself.

From secret testing facilities in the frozen north of Sweden, where temperatures regularly hit -40 degrees centigrade, to the searing desert heat of Arizona, where Volvo Cars performs its high-temperature testing program, the V90 Cross Country has been built to last.

With a design that clearly stands out from the crowd, the V90 Cross Country’s rugged character belies a sumptuous interior that delivers a level of luxury uncommon in the segment, combining all the benefits of the connectivity and entertainment features that were launched with the new S90 and V90, including a high-end sound system by Bowers & Wilkins.

The V90 Cross Country’s exterior design cues communicate the powerful and dynamic capability that the car exemplifies, while offering the flexibility to choose from both rugged and elegant expressions.

“Designing a Volvo Cross Country is not a styling exercise, a plastic job. It is based on honest capability. The Volvo V90 Cross Country brings a surprising and intriguing combination of a strong, powerful exterior and a luxurious, Scandinavian interior. It will continue the genuine tradition of the Volvo Cross Country with a new recipe: the blend of powerful off-road capability in a most elegant, sophisticated, tailored wagon suit,” said Thomas Ingenlath, Senior Vice President Design at Volvo Cars.

The new V90 Cross Country takes this well-established segment to a new level of comfort-inspired capability. Production of the car is set to start this autumn at Volvo Cars’ Torslanda plant in Sweden.

UK prices will be announced later this year, and first deliveries are expected in Q1 2017.