USA - Volvo celebrates the 90th anniversary with the launch of the new XC60 in New York.

The all-new Volvo XC60 will make its North American debut at the 2017 New York International Auto Show. The XC60 marks the start of the new 60 series cars featuring Volvo’s new award-winning design language built on the company’s Scalable Product Architecture.

Lex Kerssemakers, President and CEO of Volvo Car USA will debut the XC60 and the 2018 S90 during Volvo Cars’ press conference scheduled for 2:15PM on Wednesday, April 12, 2017.

The all-new XC60 features an athletic design with a graceful, timeless quality. The expertly crafted interior features beautiful materials that blend Scandinavian design with technology and connectivity. The XC60 will be available with a a 250 hp T5 turbo-power engine, 316 hp T6 turbo and super-charged engine or 400 hp T8 twin-engine plug-in electric hybrid.

The 2018 S90 will also debut at the show with updates for the new model year. The S90 was first introduced in 2016 and has set a benchmark for interior style in the luxury sedan marketplace.

In April 2017, Volvo Cars will celebrate 90 years since the first vehicle, ÖV4, rolled off the assembly line in 1927. To celebrate this milestone, Volvo Car USA welcomes media attendees to a light lunch and champagne toast at 11:45AM on Thursday, April 13, 2017. A fully restored Volvo 123 “Amazon” Wagon, Duett and P1800, along with time-period photography, will be on display.

Volvo to have a host of new and prize winning models on show at the Chicago Auto Show.

The all-new Volvo V90 Cross Country wagon and ultra-luxurious XC90 Excellence plug-in hybrid SUV will make their Chicago Auto Show debuts this weekend at McCormick Place. Also on display will be the S90, named Best Sedan of the Year 2017 by Chicago News.

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 fulfill an increasingly important part of the Swedish automaker’s product portfolio as luxury car buyers seek out a more experienced-based lifestyle that occasionally takes them off the beaten track.

To learn more visit www.volvocars.com/us

“The V90 Cross Country is an elegant, all-road car that delivers safety, comfort and performance in a capable and adventurous package,” said Lex Kerssemakers, Volvo Cars’ Senior Vice President Americas and President and CEO, Volvo Car USA.

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 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.

“As it was built to survive Swedish winters in the Arctic, we expect the V90 Cross Country can handle anything Chicago can throw at it,” Kerssemakers said.

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.

Pricing starts at $55,300 and cars are scheduled to start arriving in U.S. showrooms in March.

XC90 Excellence

The Volvo XC90 Excellence, a four-seat ultra-luxurious variant of the award-winning XC90 SUV, breaks new ground for Volvo, delivering a level of luxury, craftsmanship and comfort not previously seen in the company’s offerings. The driver and front passenger seats are duplicated to form the vehicle’s second row, fundamentally changing the car’s configuration.

Pricing is set at $104,500

With just four seats instead of seven the additional space is utilized to offer a First Class automotive experience that begins with broad, spacious individual reclining rear seats complete with massage, ventilation and increased leg room, as well as a retractable control touchscreen, folding tables, a refrigerator with bottle and glass holders, a heating/cooling cup holder and handmade crystal glasses from leading Swedish glass design company, Orrefors.

The presence of Nappa leather and open-pore wood, a signature of the XC90 Inscription, is expanded throughout the interior while a partition isolates the passenger space from the cargo area. This ensures an ultra-quiet environment to enjoy the 20-speaker, 1400-watt Bowers & Wilkins sound system.

The Volvo XC90 Excellence is uncompromising in luxury, safety and its environmental footprint. The vehicle is offered exclusively with Volvo’s 400 horsepower, T8 Twin-Engine Plug-in Hybrid Electric powertrain with an Orrefors crystal gear shifter. Of course, the XC90 Excellence meets the same stringent safety standards as the XC90 T8 Inscription, Momentum and R-Design.

“The Volvo XC90 Excellence is a fantastic expanded version of Volvo’s idea of luxury. It brings together fantastic materials, uncompromising safety and performance into an amazing package,” said Lex Kerssemakers, President and CEO of Volvo Car USA, “This car exposes Volvo to a new type of buyer.”

Record Sales

Volvo Cars reported a third consecutive year of record sales in 2016, increasing 6.2 percent compared to 2015 to 534,332 cars, underlining the breadth and depth of the company’s ongoing global transformation.

The record 2016 was driven by solid growth in all major sales regions, including double-digit increases in its two largest markets China and the United States and a strong performance in Western Europe. Looking ahead, Volvo is confident that 2017 will be another record year in terms of sales.

Sales of the new top-of-the-line 90 series cars were the main growth driver globally, led by the Volvo XC90 large premium SUV for which sales rose 125 percent versus 2015, highlighting the success of the company’s new design and engineering direction and boding well for the future as more new models are revealed in coming years.

Meanwhile, the XC60 mid-size premium SUV established another new annual sales record of 161,092 cars in its ninth year on the market, having increased sales every year since it was introduced in 2008.

Volvo’s largest market in 2016 was China, with total sales of 90,930 cars, an increase of 11.5 percent. The best-selling models in the world’s largest car market were the locally-produced Volvo XC60 and S60L premium sedan.

In the United States Volvo took market share in 2016, growing 18.1 percent, making it one of the fastest growing premium brands in a broadly flat market. Total sales for the year amounted to 82,726 cars, with the Volvo XC90 and XC60 leading sales performances.

Sales in Western Europe increased 4.1 percent, boosted by strong performances in key markets such as Germany, the United Kingdom, France and Italy. Total sales in the region amounted to 206,144 cars.

The new sales record in 2016 tops off another year in which Volvo Cars continued its global transformation and the repositioning of the brand to compete with its global premium rivals.

During the course of the year the company strengthened its leadership in areas such as autonomous drive (AD), electrification and safety, forged new business alliances, continued the renewal of its entire product range and expanded its global manufacturing footprint.

In 2016 Volvo continued construction work on a new $500M manufacturing plant in South Carolina, its first in the United States. The plant will build new cars based on its modular Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) and will initially employ up to 2,000 people. The new plant in South Carolina underlines Volvo’s long term and strong commitment to the United States.

Volvo Cars also unveiled a new manufacturing strategy for China in which production capacity will be increased and China will be developed in a global manufacturing export hub. Its top-of-the-range S90 cars will be built in Daqing in northern China, while existing and future 60-series cars will be built in Chengdu. Cars in its planned new 40 series, based on its Compact Modular Architecture (CMA), will be made at a plant under construction in Luqiao, 350km south of Shanghai.

With the introduction of the V90 Cross Country premium estate in September, Volvo completed the launch of a completely new 90 series line-up. These new cars have highlighted the transformational effect of the SPA architecture in terms of design, technology and brand, a feat underlined by the over 120 awards won by the XC90 SUV.

In the coming years Volvo Cars will continue to replace its entire model range. During the course of 2017 it will launch a completely new version of the successful XC60 mid-size SUV based on the SPA architecture, as well as the XC40 small SUV, the first in an all-new range of 40 series cars based on the CMA architecture that underpin its global small car strategy.

Volvo Cars also last year announced one of the auto industry’s most comprehensive electrification strategies in which plug-in hybrids will be introduced across its entire range. It will also introduce its first fully electric car by 2019. By 2025, Volvo aims to have sold a total of up to 1 million electrified cars.

New partnerships forged during 2016 place Volvo Cars at the forefront of the significant change currently underway in the auto industry.

Volvo Cars and Uber agreed to set up and finance a joint development project that will develop and manufacture base vehicles on the SPA architecture, able to incorporate the latest AD technologies up to and including fully autonomous cars.

It also established a joint venture together with Autoliv, named Zenuity, to design and develop AD software and advanced driver assist systems (ADAS) for sales to third party OEMs. Zenuity will create a new entrant in the fast growing global market for autonomous driving software systems and the first time a leading premium car maker has joined forces with a tier one supplier to develop these systems.

Volvo Cars will in 2017 start the world’s most advanced and ambitious autonomous vehicle test in Gothenburg, with real families using AD XC90 cars in everyday life, paving the way for it to be a global leader in autonomous driving technologies. It will start similar tests with real people behind the wheel of its self-driving cars in London and China in the coming years.

As a result of these and other partnerships that are transforming its business model, Volvo Cars is no longer just a car maker, it is now a global premium mobility company.

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.”

The Amazing XC90 T8 Twin Engine petrol-electric hybrid voted Car of the Year in the Stuff Gadget Awards.

• XC90 T8 Twin Engine petrol-electric hybrid voted Car of the Year
• Praised for its technology and range of sophisticated driver aids
• Tablet-style infotainment system and a range of web apps are standard with every XC90

The Volvo XC90 T8 Twin Engine has been voted the Car of the Year in the Stuff Gadget Awards 2015.

Stuff is the UK’s best-selling gadget magazine, and its awards celebrate the pick of the year’s technology. The XC90 T8 defeated such illustrious competition as the Ariel Nomad, Audi RS3, Range Rover Sport SVR, Tesla Model S P85D, Toyota Mirai and the Volkswagen Golf R to claim the title.

Commenting on the award-winning car, the Stuff.tv website deputy editor Tom Parsons said: “Safe, stylish and a dream to drive, the new XC90 is a tech-toting titan that’s both swift and economical, with smarts to make a genius jealous and genuinely useful on-the-road driver aids.”

The XC90 T8 is at the forefront of Volvo’s technological revolution, featuring a powerful petrol engine with an electric motor to provide dynamic performance with outstanding efficiency and environmental credentials.

Of course, it is packed with technology, too, including a nine-inch touchscreen information and entertainment system. This is no ordinary touchscreen set-up, though, because it includes pinch and zoom and swipe functionality, so truly offers the usability and convenience of a tablet-style interface.

Every XC90 also comes with Sensus Connect, which includes internet connectivity and access to a range of web apps such as Rdio, Stitcher, TuneIn, LocalSearch and Yelp.*

Another ground-breaking feature is the Volvo On Call app. Standard on every XC90, this allows you to remotely lock and unlock the car, check whether the doors and windows are closed, and access the car’s trip computer information. It also provides the location of your XC90 on a map, and allows you to sound the car’s horn and flash its headlights – perfect if you’ve forgotten where you left it in a busy car park. It even uses the car’s GPS to track your XC90 if it is stolen and will automatically alert the emergency services if you’re involved in an accident.

Being a Volvo, the XC90 is designed to keep you as safe as possible. It includes two world-first safety technologies: automatic emergency braking at an intersection, and run-off road protection, which is designed to reduce the likelihood of spinal injuries if the car leaves the road. These are on top of the XC90’s comprehensive suite of safety aids, including pedestrian and cyclist detection, and front collision warning with fully automatic emergency braking.

Then there’s the technology that simply makes living with the car that bit easier. The tailgate is electronically operated, but you don’t need to get the key out to use it – all you have to do is have the key with you and wave your foot beneath the rear bumper to open or close the tailgate. You don’t even have to use the key to unlock the doors or start the engine, while many of the car’s other entertainment and convenience functions can be controlled via the sophisticated voice control system.

Nick Connor, Managing Director of Volvo Car UK, said: “To have the XC90 T8 Twin Engine’s technology honoured by such an influential gadgetry title is a tremendous result. With its high-tech petrol-electric powertrain and ground-breaking connectivity features, the XC90 T8 is the most technologically advanced car Volvo has ever built. It is also full of electronic equipment designed to make your life easier, so while cars are getting more sophisticated, the XC90 T8 is proof that they don’t have to be more complicated.”

The XC90 T8 Twin Engine is on sale now, with prices starting from £60,455.

All-New Volvo XC-90 T8 Twin Engine receives approval for Plug-In Car grant.

Volvo’s first ever petrol plug-in hybrid, the XC90 T8 Twin Engine, has qualified for the UK Plug-in Car Grant (PICG) scheme from the Office of Low Emissions (OLEV). The new XC90 T8 Twin engine is now available with an on-road price of £54,955 (including PICG).

The award-winning XC90 is the first car to be built on Volvo’s first in-house designed and built platform (SPA – Scalable Product Architecture), powered by Volvo’s new Drive-E powertrains.

  

The SPA platform is designed to incorporate electrification without encroaching on interior space, with the necessary battery pack being neatly concealed within the centre console. The Drive-E powertrain, from its initial concept, was designed to include electrification, with the new XC90 utilising both a 320hp petrol engine and 87hp electric motor.

With a combined output of 407hp, this 7-seat SUV emits an impressively low figure of just 49g/km of CO₂, at the same time being able to go from stand still to 60mph in only 5.3 seconds.

The XC90 T8 Twin engine allows the driver to choose multiple drive modes:

• Pure – allows drivers to use electric energy for up to 28 miles with zero exhaust emissions
• Hybrid – uses a combination of the electrical and petrol motors to achieve reduced CO₂ exhaust emissions
• Power – utilises the full power from both the petrol and electric motors allowing the driver to use the full 407hp available

The Plug in Car Grant (PICG) has a designed criteria to encourage manufactures to decrease the level of outputted CO₂ exhaust emissions. To achieve this, hybrid vehicles must emit less than 75g/km, a minimal travelling range of 10 miles and must reach a speed of at least 60mph.

Companies choosing the XC90 T8 Twin Engine can benefit by writing down as much as 100% of the cost against their income tax liability. Driver who choose the XC90 T8 Momentum pay as little as £99.83 BIK a month (40% tax payer) whilst enjoying a full 7-seat SUV with 407hp.

The XC90 T8 is available in three designs: Momentum, R-Design and Inscription.

Volvo cars completes the full purchase of Polestar Performance AB.

Volvo Cars, the premium car maker, has acquired 100 per cent of Polestar, the Swedish high performance car company, including the Polestar brand. Polestar will now be used as the model name for special high performance Volvos.

Polestar will also in future utilise Volvo’s twin engine electrification technology to develop next generation performance cars.

Volvo is the largest manufacturer of plug in hybrid cars in Europe and leader in advanced vehicle electrification technology. Volvo currently develops and manufactures some of the most powerful, most environmentally-friendly hybrid engines in the automotive industry.

Volvo and Polestar share a long history. They have been working in motor sport since 1996 and in recent years signed a cooperation agreement to jointly develop Polestar versions of Volvo cars that combine a comfortable Volvo driving experience with a very high level of power and handling.

“Driving a Volvo Polestar is a special experience. We have decided to bring this experience to more Volvo drivers, placing the full resources of Volvo behind the development of Polestar as the model name for our high performance cars,” said Håkan Samuelsson, president and chief executive of Volvo Cars.

In 2015, Volvo expects to sell 750 Polestar versions of the V60 wagon and S60 sedan globally. Polestar sales are forecast to increase to between 1,000 and 1,500 cars a year in the medium term under Volvo’s ownership.

The Polestar brand is already firmly established internationally through the sale of Polestar-branded Volvos. Volvo will also benefit from the sale of aftermarket Polestar performance optimisation kits for existing Volvos.

No financial details of the deal have been disclosed. Existing Polestar Performance employees will become Volvo employees.

The Polestar racing team will remain under the control of Christian Dahl, the former owner of Polestar, and will be renamed. The Polestar brand will continue to work alongside Christian Dahl.

“We are extremely satisfied with the way the performance business with Volvo has developed. But we are a racing team first and foremost. This is an opportunity to return our full attention to our core business – to develop and race Volvo cars,” said Christian Dahl.

Additional Information

Volvo has acquired Polestar Performance AB, which comprises performance activities including performance-related software and aftermarket tuning hardware, as well as Polestar Holding AB, which is the owner of the Polestar trademarks. It has not acquired the racing division of Polestar.

The Volvo S60 and V60 Polestar feature a 350 horse power T6 engine, making the 0-100 km/h sprint in just 4.9 seconds, and an extensively developed chassis. The car demonstrates Volvo’s and Polestar’s engineering philosophy of delivering an engaging, precise and confident driving experience.

Polestar Performance Optimisations offer increased mid-range engine performance in combination with supporting changes for the gearbox and throttle response to make the car more dynamic and responsive to drive.