Volvo Trucks roll down the catwalk (down the catwalk, yeah)

Click for hi-res gallery of Volvo Trucks clothingTrucker chic isn't exactly the same in Europe as it is in America, where every tool with a practical-joke or retro-themed television show is punkin' out the mesh-backed trucker hats. Case in point: the new apparel collection launched by Volvo Trucks. Although the fashion-forward collection might seem more aligned with Volvo's latest passenger cars than commercial vehicles, remember that, since 1999, the two divisions are separately owned (one independent, the other by Ford... for now) and both share the same name and logo. Commendably, Volvo Trucks didn't just slap its name on some t-shirts and backpacks and called it a day. The recently launched collection consists of more than 100 items, on which the company's designers collaborated with IKEA fashion designers for over a year. The line includes leather jackets sporting shoulder sections modeled on the company's trademark grille and watches shaped like the cabin's instruments. Clever, eh? We don't know who is driving the big-rigs on that side of the pond, but the Volvo Trucks collection has things for the whole family, including men, women and even children – like baby tees with UV protection to safeguard their fair Swedish skin. The items are available via the company's online shop at www.volvotrucks.com/merchandise. In the meantime, you can check out the press release after the jump and the images in the gallery below.

[ Via: Autoblog (Volvo) ]
[ Tag: volvo, volvo design, volvo trucks, volvo trucks clothing, volvo trucks collection, VolvoDesign, VolvoTrucks, VolvoTrucksClothing, VolvoTrucksCollection ]

New Jersey bound: Volvo going back to the Garden State

After years of hanging out in the California sun, Volvo is headed back to Jersey. The move comes as Ford is nearly finished selling its Jaguar and Land Rover brands, which means the Blue Oval no longer has enough tenants to justify paying for a facility in SoCal. Ford's Swedish brand is going to re-merge its living quarters with its service center in Rockleigh, NJ, and Dearborn will save plenty of cash as a result. One interesting aspect of the move is the impact it will have on Volvo's workforce. Nissan lost quite a few of its people when it moved to Tennessee, and with a drastic move from California to New Jersey, we imagine there are quite a few Californians uninterested in living the Jersey lifestyle.

[ Via: The Car Connection ]
[ Tag: California Move, CaliforniaMove, Ford, Volvo ]

Volvo for Life Grand Award winner chosen

At New York's Cipriani restaurant on 42nd Street, Volvo presented its sixth annual Volvo for Life Awards and named Marilyn Adams the Grand Award Winner in the Safety category. The panel of judges -- including Hank Aaron, Sen. Bill Bradley, Maya Lin, Dr. Sally Ride, Dr. Mae Jemison, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, and Edsel B. Ford II -- selected Marilyn because of her Farm Safety 4 Just Kids organization that teaches, as you guessed, farm safety for the young'ins'.
Two decades ago Adams' 11-year-old son was killed in a gravity flow wagon on the first day of the harvest. Inspired by her loss, and by the realization that kids between the ages of 5 and 14 were 66-percent more likely to be injured in a farm accident than adults aged 45 to 64, she started the non-profit Farm Safety Just 4 Kids. The organization has thousands of volunteers across America and Canada teaching rural kids how to stay safe and healthy. For her efforts, Adams's organization gets a $100,000 contribution from Volvo, and Adams will receive a new Volvo every three years for the rest of her life.
The other top category winners in Environment and Quality of Life, Matthew Sanford and Lorraine Kerwood, each get $100,000 donated to their work. Volvo also named ten-year-old Zach Bonner of Valrico, Fla., the winner of the Alexandra Scott Butterfly Award and presented him with $25,000 for a charity of his choice.

[ Via: Volvo ]
[ Tag: awards, charities, marilyn adams, MarilynAdams, volvo, volvo for life, volvo for life awards, VolvoForLife, VolvoForLifeAwards ]

Change your C30's character with official swappable designs

Looking at the pictures above and in our gallery below, you may think that Volvo has either totally lost it or forgot that April Fools Day is on the first of the month. But we're assured this is real and even visited Volvo's official Swedish media site for verification. Beginning on April 7th, Volvo C30 owners in Sweden can completely change the character of their car by ordering one of 20 different nonpermanent films that safely adhere to the exterior of their hatches. The designs are outlandish to say the least and include everything from mock woodie panels to zebra stripes to pink camo to gay pride colors (probably an unintended association for that last one, but it works). The film, which in some cases appears to cover every exterior surface, is guaranteed not to hurt the paint, but actually protect it for up to two years when it's time to replace the film. It is an investment though at the equivalent of $3,130 USD, which is probably more than what it would cost to have the car custom painted with any of these designs. But then it couldn't be removed when you wise up and realize your car looks absolutely ridiculous.

[ Via: Autoblog (Volvo) ]
[ Tag: c30 gay pride, c30 woodie, C30GayPride, C30Woodie, volvo c30, VolvoC30 ]

Ford stock up thanks to Kerkorian, Volvo remains "not for sale"

Kirk Kerkorian's associate Jerry York stated last Thursday that Ford would do well to sell Volvo and extinguish Mercury. Coincidentally (or not) Ford's stock zoomed up to one of the highest price levels it's seen in the last six months. Tracinda Corporation, Kerkorian's firm, has expressed faith in Mulally's leadership and his plan to strengthen the automaker. There has been speculation about a sale of Volvo in the past, and punditry has been begging the Blue Oval to do something with Mercury, or put it out of its misery, for years.
While York seems certain that Volvo will be on the market in less than two years time, Ford continues to state that the Swedish subsidiary is not for sale. Looking at the Premier Auto Group shuffle of the last year, though, it could certainly be deduced that Volvo will indeed go on the market soon. Moving the brand out of the PAG location in Irvine, CA and back to Rockleigh, NJ, where Volvo had set up shop when it first started selling cars in the United States, is a move that set off whispers of impending sale. While it might be nothing more than right-sizing office space for Volvo now that the rest of the Premier Auto Group is gone, a cross country move is a deft way to trim operational fat without layoffs, and divorcing Volvo's North American operations from Ford locations makes an ownership transition easier, too. While Ford and Volvo products share a lot of engineering and parts, a well-negotiated deal wouldn't preclude a sale that gently phases out the currently entwined platforms as they age and replacements are brought to market.

[ Via: Automotive News ]
[ Tag: ford, ford motor company, ford pag, ford premier auto group, ford stock, FordMotorCompany, FordPag, FordPremierAutoGroup, FordStock, kirk kerkorian, kirk kerkorians tra..., kirk kirkorkian, KirkKerkorian, KirkKerkoriansTra..., KirkKirkorkian, premier auto group, PremierAutoGroup, tracinda, tracinda corp, tracinda corp., TracindaCorp, TracindaCorp., volvo, volvo sale, VolvoSale ]

You know what they say: Court orders Volvo to pay man with big feet

"Hey, Stompy, you wanna take a test drive?
Nein, I'll just take the one in black, please."
So goes the imagined conversation between Michael Herzog, he of size 12 (UK) feet, and the Volvo dealer from whom he purchased a C70. Herzog says his feet are too large for the pedal box in his Volvo, precluding use of that most essential pedal, the accelerator. The issue went to court in Wiesloch, Germany, where a judge ruled that size 12 is not freakishly large, so Volvo should have designed a car to accommodate that size foot. Size 12 on UK size charts is about the same as a U.S. size 12, so it's not an incomprehensibly large foot. The dealer has been directed to refund five percent of the purchase price, a total of £1,350, to pay for a custom pair of shoes that allow the owner to drive his new car, as well as compensate him for time lost to shoe-changes. And we thought the U.S. was litigious.

[ Via: am-online ]
[ Tag: big feet, BigFeet, volvo big foot, volvo c70, volvo feet, volvo lawsuit, VolvoBigFoot, VolvoC70, VolvoFeet, VolvoLawsuit ]