REPORT: Geely agrees to buy Volvo? Ford silent

Any talk of brands for sale in the auto industry invariably includes a Chinese automaker as one potential bidder. As such, it's not surprising to hear that Chinese automaker Geely is reportedly in the running to buy Volvo from Ford. Chinese media, however, have begun reporting that Geely has actually signed a deal with the Dearborn-based automaker to buy the last remaining brand from Ford's now-defunct Premium Auto Group.

Has it actually happened? Both Ford and Volvo have made no official statements that would confirm what's being reported in the Chinese media. Official confirmations usually come after a deal has been widely reported in the media, though. However, the only outlets reporting this rumor are from China. We haven't heard a peep from any Swedish-based news organizations, which is surprising considering they were on the ball last week reporting that Koenigsegg had struck a deal with General Motors to buy Sweden's other big auto brand, Saab.

Swedespeed.com actually asked Volvo if the reports of a sale to Geely were true. James Hope, Volvo's US Product Communications Manager, had this to say.

"An announcement related to the sale of Volvo Car Corp. would only come from Ford Motor Company. As of today [Wednesday, June 17, 2009], neither Ford Motor Company nor Volvo Car Corporation in Sweden has made any announcement regarding the sale of Volvo. Reports of such a sale by any media outlet are speculative and, therefore, are not accurate."

There you have it. If an agreement has been struck by Geely and Volvo's parent company Ford, nobody's except the Chinese are talking about it.

Volvo announces 2010 XC60 pricing starting at $37,200

 
Pricing has been released for the 2010 Volvo XC60 crossover, and the T6 with standard AWD and Volvo's pioneering City Safety low-speed collision protection system will have a base price of $37,200 plus destination. Power is provided by a turbocharged 3.0L T6 engine pumping out a solid 281 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque. Premium features like leather, power driver's seat, SIRIUS, Bluetooth, and HD Radio with USB and AUX ports are all standard. The Panorama moonroof will even be offered at no charge as part of an introductory offer, although Volvo hasn't said how much it will run after that.
Four different option packages available on the XC60, beginning with the Climate Package for $1,000 which includes heated seats fore and aft, heated windshield washer nozzles, rain sensing wipers, headlamp washers, and an Interior Air Quality System (IAQS) with a humidity sensor. The Technology Package will retail for $2,700 and adds a 650-watt Dynaudio stereo with 12 speakers and Dolby surround sound, plus Volvo's DVD navigation system with real time traffic and a rear park assist camera setup. This being a Volvo, of course there's a safety package as well.
The Collision Avoidance Package adds another $1,695 to the bottom line and includes a big bowl of alphabet soup: Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), Collision Warning with Auto Brake (CWAB), Distance Alert (DA), Driver Alert Control (DAC), and Lane Departure Warning (LDW). That's a lot of tech for such a small package and the availability of these features, although increasingly moving downmarket, can help justify the seemingly very premium base price of the vehicle. You even get free maintenance for three years or 36,000 miles as part of Volvo's new program.

Ford holding talks with Renault regarding Volvo sale?

At this point, Ford's sale of Volvo appears imminent. The only question now is who wants to take the Swedish automaker off the Blue Oval's hands. Last week we told you of a possible sale as early as mid-February, and now Reuters is reporting that the buyer could be Renault. The two automakers allegedly got together in the fall to discuss the outright purchase of Volvo and now, the two have apparently resumed talks.
Volvo and Renault almost combined back in 1993, but management and stockholders at the Swedish automaker were against the merger. Fast forward to 2009, and Volvo is coming off a $1.5 billion loss for 2008, and Ford is draining cash by the bucket. Renault could find a bargain-basement Volvo as a nice fit, considering that it just recently canceled plans to produce a new large car. Volvo's Ford-based large car lineup could slot nicely in Renault's offerings, saving big Euros on development. Some are speculating that Renault, which owns 44% of Nissan, would have Volvo all to itself, though we're sure some sharing between the three automakers is bound to happen if the deal goes down.

2009 Volvo S60 Concept

Sleek and sexy are words that are rarely associated with Volvos. Rather, the name volvo generally conjures up adjectives such as safe and secure. Yet, the 2009 Volvo S60 concept seeks to change that notion and instead prove that a Volvo can be both safe and sexy.The concept ditches the brand's aged Scandinavian design in favor of the bold styling of the handsome XC60 crossover. In front, there is a strong upward stance, thanks to the angle of the trapezoidal grille and lower air intakes. The LED headlights are modeled to look like miniature Viking longboats sailing up into the V-shaped hood.The front doors open conventionally while the rears are electronic and swing out then slide rearward. The roofline is low and the beltline is high for that coupe-like sedan profile made popular by the Mercedes Benz CLS. The car's lines follow a "race track" theme as they continue smoothly throughout the body instead of ending abruptly. Volvo says it plans to implement this type of styling into future models and we couldn't approve more.Inside, the concept seats four along a floating crystal center console that runs from front to back. The slim leather seats are actually cantilevered from the center stack, and both the armrest and seatbelt are integrated to give the appearance that everything is hovering. The instrument cluster continues the floating theme and houses a unique speedometer where low numbers appear farther away. The intention is to give the driver a reminder of forward motion, as if looking out the windshield would not suffice.

• Detroit '09 Preview: Volvo S60 Concept

Detroit '09 Preview: Volvo S60 Concept

Next month in Detroit, the Volvo S60 Concept will serve up a teaser for the 2010 production sedan that'll likely debut later in the show season. The S60 Concept demonstrates that Volvo's new sedan will ditch the rather conservative duds it currently wears in favor of a new, much more aggressive visual ensemble. Profile views show off a coupe-ish roofline, while pointed headlights extend back onto the fenders and flank a reshaped, more detailed grille up front. The concept's rear is similarly detailed, with LED taillamps that hide the various signal colors until they are actually illuminated.
Inside, the cabin is predictably heavy on the typical concept stuff -- modern-looking seats, light colors and crystalline accents -- while still hinting at the next S60's instrumentation layout. Interesting features include a shifter that's left horizontal when the car is cruising in automatic mode, but can be flipped up for a better grip when the driver wants to select gears manually. The S60 Concept has no B-pillar and features truck rear doors that open outward and slide back out of the way so that showgoers can better ogle the fancy interior. Don't expect anything of the sort to make it to production.

Safety features, as you would expect, are also prevalent. The S60 Concept gives us our first look at Volvo's Collision Warning with Full Auto Brake, which will make its debut on the production car. The system uses radar, a camera, and a control unit to effectively eliminate low-speed pedestrian collisions (at speeds under 12 mph or so) and drastically reduce the force of impact in scenarios involving higher speeds. The system, which allows for full braking power to be employed in emergency, collision-imminent situations without driver input, should help cut down on rear-end crashes as well. Volvo's Active Cruise Control system has also been upgraded; it now maintains the car's distance from the vehicle ahead right down to a stop, adding low-speed functionality that was previously unavailable.

Power comes from a GTDi (gasoline turbocharged direct-injection) four-cylinder making around 179 horsepower mated to a Powershift dual-clutch gearbox. An additional suite of efficiency features, including start/stop functionality, a "DRIVe" economy mode, and various aerodynamic enhancements, helps deliver fuel economy in the neighborhood of 47mpg while keeping CO2 emissions under 120 g/km. Hopefully, all that goodness makes its way into the production car as well. Volvo says that its first car featuring GTDi "will appear in 2009." In any case, we should learn more next month when the Detroit show (or what's left of it, anyway) gets rolling.
[ Via: Autoblog (Volvo) ]
[ Tag: 2010 volvo s60, 2010VolvoS60, breaking, collision warning with full auto brake, CollisionWarningWithFullAutoBrake, detroit auto show, detroit-2008, detroit2008, DetroitAutoShow, naias, naias 2008, Naias2008, s60, s60 concept, S60Concept, volvo ]

Volvo bringing back free maintenance program

Filed under: Car Buying, Maintenance, Volvo
It's our pleasure to announce that the economic downturn is responsible for something you might actually want, other than cheap gas: Volvo is offering free maintenance for three years or 36,000 miles on all 2009 models. Volvo ran the program most recently until 2006. But with sales in the tank, Volvo dealers have been pleading with Volvo to bring it back in a bid to get more customers. Volvo higher ups finally agreed, and dealers think that this will help a potential customer choose Volvo over another make, especially a domestic, if she knows she won't be on the hook for creaks and leaks. BMW, Land Rover, MINI, and Saab also have free maintenance programs, and VW has started the program for its 2009 models. Now if only Volvo offered the S60 Concept with free maintenance...
[ Via: Autoblog (Volvo) ]
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Volvo to webcast Detroit Auto Show press conference live

It may not be the same as attending the event in-person, but a live, interactive webcast of Volvo's press conference at the Detroit Auto Show, where the S60 concept and production XC60 for North America will be shown, could be the next best thing. The broadcast is intended for media types and members of the press, but the fact that it's being aired on DirecTV (channel 101, January 11 at 5:30 - 6:30 PM ET) means that anybody with a television and the satellite service can watch it live. Alternatively, users can register for a password to the online site, the location of which is not yet determined.
The coolest bit of tech that's making an appearance for this event is the capability to send questions to a live host who will then relay selected inquiries to key Volvo executives. These days, the global economic downturn is affecting everyone, including those who would normally cover these events for the media. This being the case and assuming the event is a success, we'd expect to more manufacturers to adopt a similar system at upcoming auto shows. Of course, we'll be there live and you can always direct your browsers to our pages for the best coverage available.
[ Via: Autoblog (Volvo) ]
[ Tag: detroit 2009, detroit auto show, Detroit2009, DetroitAutoShow, volvo, volvo detroit auto show, volvo s60, volvo s60 concept, volvo xc60, VolvoDetroitAutoShow, VolvoS60, VolvoS60Concept, VolvoXc60 ]