'08 Volvo V50 T5 Turbo Sport Wagon .. Calif. Car .. Low Reserve .. Mint !!! on 2040-cars

Auto blog

2015 Volvo XC90 is the Swedish future

It's been months since the Concept XC Coupe debuted at the Detroit Auto Show, Volvo's last show car previewing its all-new 2015 XC90. But the production model is finally here after years of development, and it signals the future of the Swedish automaker with its Scalable Product Architecture modular platform and cutting-edge new engine family.
The 2015 XC90 carries all-new styling, but is still familiar up front, with the company's logo slashing diagonally through its prominent, upright grille. Like the concept, it carries T-Shaped LED running lights through the headlights. The company calls them the "Thor's Hammer" design, an evocative designation that we think is fantastic. Under that new front end is a choice of two quite powerful, but very efficient powertrains. The standard XC90 gets a 2.0-liter turbocharged and supercharged engine with all-wheel drive making an impressive 316 horsepower. Or if buyers want to be a little greener and more powerful, there is the XC90 Twin Engine plug-in hybrid with the same engine, albeit augmented with an electric motor to produce a staggering 400 hp.
The exterior styling is crisp, if not quite as sensual as Volvo's latest concepts, but we think the interior is the real star here, with a dashboard that looks like it came out of a Herman Miller catalog and a unique vertically oriented infotainment screen integrated into its center stack, perhaps taking a cue from Tesla. If the cabin feels as good as it looks, we think a lot of sales are going to be won inside.

Subprime financing on the rise in new car sales, leasing too

We all remember the financial crisis that began several years back. At its core was a splurge of subprime lending for housing loans. The housing bubble burst, triggering a collapse of the mortgage-backed securities market. Apparently, those types of loans still exist in the automotive industry, and the market share for these types of "nonprime, subprime, and deep subprime," loans has grown 13.6 percent compared to the third quarter a year ago.
According to an Automotive News report, high-risk lending expanded to 24.8 percent of total loans in Q3, up from 21.9 percent for this time last year. As this level increased, average credit scores of borrowers dropped to 755, down from 763 a year ago. In that time, the average financing amount increased $90 per vehicle, to $25,963.
At 818, Volvo maintains the highest per-owner credit score, while Mitsubishi has the lowest, at 694. The highest rate of borrowers was at Toyota, with 14 percent of the market, followed by Ford with 13.1 percent and Chevrolet at 11.1.

Volvo launches next-gen Sensus Connect infotainment system [w/videos]

To borrow a line from another automaker, the Volvo S60 has the power to surprise - it's likely not top of mind for most entry-level luxury sedan buyers, but it's good enough that it probably should be. There's long been one pretty serious chink in its armor, though, and that goes for the company's entire model line: infotainment. The Swedish marque's offerings just haven't been that feature-rich, but Volvo is working to improve things with its updated Sensus Connect, a suite of functions just launched at this week's CES in Las Vegas.
The new system updates center on cloud-based connectivity advancements that include a novel Park&Pay feature that allows drivers to search for parking and pay for their space from the comfort of their car. Other functions that show off the diversity of Sensus Connect include embedded, Pandora-streaming internet radio, Wikipedia, remote start via smart phone, dealer appointment booking, destination attraction searches and an available wifi hotspot.
All of this increased functionality sounds like a big step in the right direction, and Volvo is noting it has refreshed the system's interface with "graphically themed center and driver displays" along with improved voice control and text-to-speech capabilities.