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Volvo to adopt NACS port, partners with Tesla for Supercharger access

Volvo is the next automaker to announce that it’s signed an agreement with Tesla with will allow its current and future electric vehicles use of the Supercharger network. Plus, just like Ford and GM, Volvo says its new EVs from 2025 on will be equipped with the North American Charging Standard (NACS) port instead of the Combined Charging System (CCS) port. This agreement makes Volvo the first European automaker to adopt TeslaÂ’s charge port and gain access to the 12,000-plus Superchargers across the U.S. Volvo says that owners of its EVs will be able to access Superchargers as early as the first half of 2024 with an adapter. For Volvo EVs built with the NACS port, Volvo says those vehicles will still be capable of charging on CCS chargers with an adapter provided by Volvo. Volvo didnÂ’t explicitly say that the Supercharger network would be integrated into its carsÂ’ native navigation system (which is just Google Maps these days), but it did say that folks will be able to use the Volvo Cars app to do so. Via the app, youÂ’ll be able to locate chargers, get real-time availability info and pay for charging sessions. “As part of our journey to becoming fully electric by 2030, we want to make life with an electric car as easy as possible,” said Jim Rowan, Volvo CEO. “One major inhibitor to more people making the shift to electric driving – a key step in making transportation more sustainable – is access to easy and convenient charging infrastructure. Today, with this agreement, weÂ’re taking a major step to remove this threshold for Volvo drivers in the United States, Canada and Mexico.” Stay tuned, as itÂ’s only a matter of time until more and more automakers make a similar decision as Ford, GM and Volvo just made. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Volvo announces a move away from wagons and sedans as SUV fever spikes

Volvo will move away from station wagons and sedans as it pivots towards an electric-only lineup. While it won't abandon either body style, it hinted it will pare down its presence in both segments as it launches more crossovers. "We need less variants of sedans and wagons. We have a lot of wagons today, with the V60, the V90, the Cross Country, and the non-Cross Country, plus a lot of sedans big and small, long, and extra-long. We need to move from wagons and sedans. We will still have them in the future, but probably not as many," warned company boss Hakan Samuelsson in an interview with British magazine Autocar. He pointed out Volvo's sales mix is about 75% SUVs. Volvo's portfolio in 2021 includes two wagons, the V60 and the V90. Each one is available as a regular low-riding model, or as a Cross Country-branded high rider with all-wheel-drive and rugged styling cues. Selling wagons in 2021 is difficult, even for a brand like Volvo that's been closely associated with the body style for decades. American motorists fell out of love with the long-roof years ago, and Chinese drivers never liked them to begin with. Europeans still buy lifted wagons, but low-riding models are a tough sell, even in Volvo's home country of Sweden. Reading between the lines suggests non-Cross Country-badged models will be axed from the range in the coming years. As for sedans, Volvo has two: the S60 and the S90. It's not too far-fetched to speculate that at least one won't be replaced at the end of its life cycle. While nothing is official yet, and this is just a guess, our money is on the S90. High-riding vehicles are what the market wants in the 2020s, and Volvo (like everyone else) is following demand. It added a fourth model to its palette of crossovers and SUVs when it introduced the 2022 C40 Recharge, an electric soft-roader with XC40 underpinnings and a fastback-like roof line. Unverified rumors claim a flagship model tentatively called XC100 is on its way, and Samuelsson confirmed an entry-level crossover called either XC20 or C20 is currently under development. The model's architecture will come from China-based parent company Geely. Samuelsson explained the shift to an all-electric range will have a profound effect on Volvo's design language. First, a lot of its upcoming cars will be taller, because it's easier to pack a bulky battery pack into a crossover than into a sedan. Second, the firm's future design language will be more streamlined.

Volvo joins Australia's V8 Supercars series [w/video]

It was just a rumor, but now it's official, mates: Volvo will be joining the V8 Supercars series in Australia with an official team for 2014. Volvo is partnering with Garry Rogers Motorsport and its own Polestar tuning firm to create Volvo Polestar Racing.
A V8 engine will be produced by the Swedish arm of the racing effort, and will be supplied to the Garry Rogers team, which will get the whole shebang ready for the track. The outfit will be running two V8 Supercars "based on the production S60 road car." Considering that the S60 uses a range of transversely mounted engines with four, five or six cylinders (powering either the front or all four wheels) while the new race car will employ a V8 sending about 650 horsepower to the rear wheels, make that very loosely based on the production S60...
Volvo claims this is the first factory-backed entry in the V8 Supercars series from a luxury brand. We should note, though, that Mercedes-Benz is represented in the series with an E-Class sedan, but that outfit isn't quite an official entry from the car's German parents. In any case, you're encouraged to watch the teaser video and read the press release below for all the details.