Volvo

As we live in an ever-digitalized world, cybercrimes will continue to grow. Even large companies with supposedly strong cybersecurity can be a victim of this growing problem. Volvo is the latest automaker to suffer from a cyberattack, and it recently released a press statement confirming the incident.

We all know that drag races between stock cars are not as exciting as a full-on drag battle between highly modified cars. That said, it’s interesting to see how two very different vehicles stack up against one another. The YouTube channel Sam CarLegion has arranged for the Honda Civic Type R and Volvo V60 T6 to meet at the drag strip. Can the sensible Swedish wagon win against one of the best hot hatchbacks currently on sale?

Volvo announced the C40 Recharge for the U.S. market back in March this year. It is essentially a crossover version of the XC40. The U.S. market is known to welcome crossover coupes with arms wide open and Volvo accepted the invitation. For the 2022 XC40, Volvo introduced two new trims – Plus and Ultimate. But, the C40 will be offered only in the top-spec Ultimate spec. Aside from the looks, it comes with a premium cabin and a ton of creature comforts. The downside, however, is the range. The C40 Recharge is offered with a range of 210 miles, which isn’t too impressive for a vehicle that costs close to $60,000.

While some automakers are making switches to the future by plonking in electric powertrains to existing models, a few of them are revealing concepts to show what the future holds for them. Toyota unveiled the bZ4x concept last month and it gave us a preview of what the Japanese automaker’s future holds. Now, Volvo has given us a peek of what the Scandinavian design philosophy will look like.

Volvo has revealed the Concept Recharge in the form of a two-row SUV. At the onset, it sure looks futuristic. The Swedish automaker has retained the core aesthetic elements, like the Thor headlights, the prominent Volvo logo up front, etc. But, the question is – Can the automaker be a top dog in this paradigm shift?

Design-wise, cars have come a long way. So much so that, for as long as we can remember, cars have been drawing inspiration from various places, such as animals, shapes, other cars, and even having the equivalent of human eyelids – case in point being the Lamborghini Miura. However, today we are talking about a much more unremarkable vehicle.

Cyan Racing’s Volvo P1800 is a stunning resto-mod that’s capable of turning snow-covered roads into its personal playground. The Swedish racing outfit brought the P1800 to Åre, a small town north of Volvo’s headquarters in Gothenburg, Sweden for some fun runs in sub-zero temperatures.

Sending a car that weighs under 2,200 but packs 420 horsepower on less-than-stellar roads might sound dangerous for some, but it also could be a fun experience for those who know how to drive the P1800 in these conditions.

It’s almost ancient history now, but the Volvo station wagon spent years as a staple of upscale families. Luxurious without being ostentatious, known for its safety, and able to carry plenty of cargo, it was a fixture at field hockey practice — at least until SUVs took over that mantle. Even in the Volvo lineup, the station wagon is an afterthought next to the XC40, XC60, and XC90 crossovers.

But is that because SUVs are better than station wagons? Or are wagons unfairly overlooked and deserving of more attention? Volvo does still sell two wagons: the compact V60 and the midsize V90. We spent a week with the Volvo V60 Cross Country to see what a Volvo station wagon has to offer in this decade.

One of the oldest models in Volvo’s current lineup is still one of its most important. Despite being a six-year-old design now, Volvo is still selling its XC90 like hotcakes. And to keep things fresh, it has tweaked it for the 2021 model year and is offering it with a host of different engine choices.

Volvo is famous for being one of the carmakers that produces some of the safest cars in the world. The Swedish automaker has been investing in this department for decades now and it’s still paying big attention to the safety of its vehicles. Apparently to the extent that it’s dropping brand-new cars with a crane from 100 feet in the air.

Those with an eye for motorsport know who Cyan Racing is. What they didn’t know – us included – was how apt at bringing back an iconic Volvo the racing team really was. That, of course, changed when they introduced the P1800 Cyan.

Volvo and sportiness didn’t exactly go hand in hand 50 years ago, although one car with nippy ambitions stood out from the Swedish carmaker’s lineup. That car was the P1800, which came to change Volvo’s fortunes in the sports car arena after the resoundingly unsuccessful, fiberglass-bodied P1900. Volvo churned out 39,414 P1800s between 1961 and 1972, in three derivatives: P1800 S, 1800 S - S stood for Sverige or Sweden, and 1800 E - E stood for einspritzung, which means fuel injection in German.

These days, you can get a P1800 for as much as €49,500 (around $58,000) on used car websites such as Classic Driver.

Polestar went through a drastic transformation in recent years. Once a small shop that built mildly hotter versions of existing Volvo models, Polestar is now a full-blown performance division that creates unique designs. Its production car lineup includes the Polestar 1 and 2, both electrified, and it seems that the brand is already working on something. But based on the spy shots we received, it’s not a brand-new model. It seems that Polestar is testing an electric version of the iconic P1800, a car that Volvo built back in the 1960s.

Every automaker we can think of suffered from dismal sales during the first half of 2020, most of which can be attributed to the COVID pandemic. Volvo was hit pretty hard, with global sales falling 20.8 percent from January to June 2020 compared to the same time frame the year before. It was even worse across Europe, with Volvo seeing a drop in sales of 29.5 percent. All in all, Volvo posted an operating loss of 989 million krona or $111.63 million at current exchange rates. The company’s plans to bounce back rely almost entirely on electrification of its lineup. Is it a viable business plan or a bad move?

With sedans dying down and people changing their preferences to more practical vehicles, wagons seem to be making a comeback. Although wagons are a hit in Europe, the same can’t be said for the U.S. market. The sales of wagons in the U.S. dropped so low in the last decade that automakers pulled the plug on them and decided to focus on SUVs of different sizes.

However, things seem to be changing for good and many carmakers have started putting in effort to make these haulers look a lot more desirable. Volvo is on the cusp of refreshing its complete 90 series, and the latest vehicle to get an overhaul is the V90 Cross Country. The changes are limited and it is just a mid-cycle refresh to boost the sales until the next-gen wagon hits the floors. Will it make an impact, though?

Super Bowl LIV is less than two weeks away and while the world turns its focus on the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers, the car-loving population is just as interested in finding out what our favorite automakers have planned for the big day. Swedish automaker Volvo has already thrown the first salvo, not with a commercial for the game — there will be no Volvo commercial in the game, actually — but with a contest that could end with lucky contestants getting their hands on brand-new Volvo models. The contest, called Volvo Safety Sunday, is about as straightforward as it gets. Volvo is giving away $1 million worth of brand new cars if a safety happens during the game. Folks who want a chance to win a car can head over to VolvoSafetySunday.com and design the Volvo of your dreams to enter the contest. If a safety happens during Super Bowl LIV, then you have a chance of going home with a real Volvo.

The Volvo S90 is scheduled to receive a mid-cycle revamp that’s expected to debut in 2020 for the 2021 model year. Once Volvo finally applies the finishing touches on the facelifted model, the S90 will feature mainly visual changes on the outside, but the Swedish firm might also tweak the sedan’s infotainment system to keep up with its rivals, and it may even introduce the mild-hybrid powertrain brought by the freshly-revised XC90.

A big question mark for now is how (and if) the S90’s interior will change. Volvo’s prowess for nicely laid out cabins that are also comfortable and high-quality suggests the carmaker won’t fiddle too much with an already perfect recipe.

Mazda has the MX-30. Volkswagen has the ID.3, and the ID.4 is almost done brewing. Porsche has the Taycan. Mercedes-Benz has the EQC and Audi the e-tron. BMW had the i3 and is now cooking the i4, while Jaguar relies on the I-Pace, so Volvo couldn’t just sit around and watch the competition get ahead. So there it is, the Swedish carmaker’s first-ever electric car, which opens the avenue for a downfall of EVs grouped under the Recharge moniker. Ladies and gents, let’s meet the new Volvo XC40 Recharge.

Even though they are arguably the most practical vehicles you can buy, wagons were never really considered to be an enthusiast’s first choice. Things are so bad in the States that automakers started retracting their wagons from here and focused on the European markets instead, where they were greeted with open arms. However, times are changing now. Volvo has been renovating the 90 series, and now it’s the V90’s turn. The current V90 is already about three years old and it has started to look dated (blame the Cross Country models to an extent for this). The new V90 does not look radically different from the current model, but the automaker did hide the subtle changes it brings in on the bumpers and fog lamps.

The 2020 Volvo XC90 is an updated version of the second-generation SUV. Unveiled in 2019, it features a mild exterior upgrade and adds new technology inside the cabin. The Swedish SUV carries over with the same engines, but it now includes an energy recovery braking system that enhances fuel economy. Additional safety equipment rounds out the XC90’s mid-cycle facelift, which keeps the crossover competitive against vehicles like the BMW X3 and the Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class.

At a time where automakers are feeding their cars with supplements to give them more power and higher top speeds, there is this Swedish angel who cares about peoples safety instead of competing in the rat-race to see who builds a faster car. Volvo recently announced that it will be limiting the top speed on all of its models to 112 mph from the 2021 model year. Will this affect Volvo’s sales?

Wagons are the most practical vehicles one can buy today. They amalgamate the practicality of an SUV and the ride and handling of a sedan. Although they lacked the star-power and the glamorous looks until five years back, things have changed. A lot of mainstream automakers have started making these long vehicles look sexy. One such company that deserves credit for making a wagon look so desirable is Volvo. The Scandinavian company has gone a step ahead by mixing a crossover and a wagon into one beautiful product called the Volvo V60 Cross Country.

Volvo has decided to offer a driver-facing camera in its cars within the next one year, citing it as a safety feature. With privacy being a real issue these days and AI intruding the personal space, is this a wise move? Also, how are the introverts and camera-conscious people supposed to drive with camera staring at their face at the all time?

The big news from Volvo’s booth at this year’s L.A. Auto Show isn’t about any new models, because there aren’t any. In fact, the automaker didn’t bring a single car. Instead, Volvo’s emphasis was placed on a new Android-based operating system that is currently being co-developed with Google, and it could eventually be seen spreading throughout the Geely-owned family of marques.

Technology is paramount for Swedish automaker Volvo, this much we’ve known for years. But Volvo took it one step further by using the L.A. Auto Show as a place to talk about its future technologies, not about a futuristic concept car or a world premiere of sorts. We don’t really know too much about the new infotainment system that’s in the works but judging by the alliance involved; it should be impressive once ready.