2007 Volvo S40 2.4i Sedan 4-door 2.4l on 2040-cars

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Volvo's pedestrian airbags may already be on their way out

As proof of just how quickly automotive technology can advance, just check out the Volvo V40. Developed with an external airbag aimed at better protecting pedestrians in the event of a collision, this innovative safety device could be phased out soon in place of more advanced active safety technologies like pedestrian detection and auto braking.
Go Auto had a chance to talk to Volvo senior VP Lex Kerssmakers at the Tokyo Motor Show, and he suggested that the V40's under-hood airbag will not be used on the next-gen XC90 and might not even be continued on non-SUV models. The passive airbag was designed to deploy at speeds of less than 31 miles per hour to help limit head injuries to pedestrians, but new active technologies are designed to prevent collisions in the first place.
The interview also reveals some details about the new XC90, such as the inclusion of a plug-in hybrid system and the debut of a new safety technology. Kerssmakers told Go Auto that a new Volvo concept will be unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show in January, but it won't be for the XC90.

Volvo Concept Estate is a brown shooting brake, need we say more?

Set for a debut at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show next week, images of the Volvo Concept Estate have found their way onto the web courtesy of Jalopnik. If the Concept Coupe from Frankfurt were a modern P1800, the Concept Estate is a modern P1800ES.
We briefly detailed the finale to Volvo's trio of concept cars earlier this week, when images of it poked out finished in a custom car cover. Now, with a batch of uncovered images at hand, we're able to see just how pretty this brown beauty really is.
Below the beltline, this is pretty much the Concept Coupe, featuring the same T-shaped headlights and wide, rectangular grille. Above the beltline, though, things get fun. The long, glass roof terminates in a squat, wide rear end which is set off by a pair of meaty haunches. The taillights, meanwhile, expand on the style shown on Volvo's Detroit concept, the Concept XC Coupe. And that hatch opens up into a rather cavernous rear end.

This is Volvo's awesome S60 V8 Supercar entry [w/video]

Australian auto news has been dire for the last several months with all three automakers that build there announcing they would stop production within the next three years. But Volvo is providing a shot of excitement with the unveiling of its new S60 racecar for the upcoming season of the Australian V8 Supercar series.
The Volvo S60 racecar will use a 5.0-liter, naturally aspirated V8 based on Volvo's B8444S production engine that will be tuned to produce roughly 650 horsepower on E85 ethanol. Power will get to the ground via a six-speed sequential transmission, and it will be able to reach 62 miles per hour in 3.2 seconds and a top speed of 185. All cars in the series use common parts for the chassis, transaxle, and rear suspension.
Volvo's Polestar performance arm will campaign two of the S60 racers this season. While Volvo might seem like an odd inclusion into Australian racing, it actually has quite a successful history. It won the 1986 Australian Touring Car Championship in a 240 and won the Bathhurst 1000 race in 1998 in an S40. Polestar is not new to racing either, having been racing Volvos around the world since 1996.