1997 Volvo 850 Sedan Low Miles No Reserve on 2040-cars

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Volvo pranks newest valet on the Italian Riviera

Being a valet on the Italian Riviera seems like a pretty sweet gig for a young guy. Not only do you get to watch beautiful people coming and going all day and night, but there's the opportunity to get behind the wheel of a plethora of exotic sports cars. Of course, being responsible for those expensive vehicles has to be pretty nerve wracking to get used to on the first day.
In a new commercial, Volvo pranks a new valet at the San Remo Casino to see how he would handle a surprise showing up on the red carpet. If the look on his face in the screenshot above doesn't show it, he's pretty shocked by what he sees. We don't want to spoil the reveal, so just watch the ad to find out. Afterward, if you're interested in the details behind how Volvo made it happen, you can check out a short, making-of documentary, here.

Volvo Cars sees flat or lower retail sales this year

STOCKHOLM — Volvo Cars flagged a potential dip in retail sales this year after posting higher second-quarter profits. Supply problems, above all a global shortage of semiconductors, have squeezed output and retail sales in recent quarters, but Volvo said it was seeing a "marked improvement" in the stabilization of its supply chain. The Sweden-based carmaker said on Wednesday it expected full year retail deliveries to be lower or on par with 2021, while wholesale volumes will increase. "However, due to the time lag between production and retail deliveries, those improvements are not expected to result in an increase in retail sales during the calendar year," the company said. Volvo Chief Executive Jim Rowan said the company would "keep an eye on" consumer sentiment, not least due to higher inflation. "But right now demand is very strong," he said. Volvo's quarterly operating profit rose to 10.8 billion Swedish crowns ($1.06 billion) from 4.8 billion a year ago as accounting effects from the listing of high-performance automaker Polestar gave a boost. Operating earnings for the core business at Volvo Cars, majority owned by China's Geely Holding, reached 4.6 billion in the quarter. "Volvo reported a solid set of Q2 results in the light of multiple hurdles including semiconductor constraints and impact of Chinese lockdowns on demand," investment bank JPMorgan said in a note. Volvo has been a strong performer in recent years and recorded 2021 earnings that surpassed pre-pandemic levels. 

Best compact SUVs of 2023 and 2024

Compact SUVs are now the go-to choice for family transportation. Actually, considering how popular they are, they have clearly moved beyond only family duty. With such popularity, though, comes an awful lot of competitors, and it can be difficult to figure out which one might be the best compact SUV for you.  It's important to note that by "compact SUV" we're talking about a specific segment. As we describe in our more comprehensive "Best small SUVs" list, there are also subcompact SUVs that vary widely in size amongst themselves, but are clearly smaller than the SUVs below. Frankly, today's segment of compact SUVs isn't exactly compact — some have more cargo space than vehicles that are considered midsize based on their exterior dimensions. They've all grown considerably over the years. While many lists out there just rattle off every vehicle available in a segment, we thought we'd be a bit more helpful and curate your shopping a bit with the top-recommended choices reviewed by Autoblog. We've included both mainstream and compact luxury SUV choices. Best compact SUVs of 2023 and 2024 2024 Honda CR-V Why it stands out: Best-in-class space; excellent hybrid powertrain; sharp interior style; Honda dependabilityCould be better: No lower-price base trim levels; no sporty or off-road niche models; no plug-in hybrid Read our full 2024 Honda CR-V Review Consider the CR-V the baseline for any compact SUV search, and look extra closely at the superb CR-V Hybrid option. Objectively speaking, it's tough to beat due to its massive cargo capacity, voluminous back seat, strong-yet-efficient engines, well-balanced driving dynamics, competitive pricing and features,  and well-regarded reliability. It's easy to see why it continues to be such a best-seller: for the vast majority of compact SUV buyers, and especially families, it checks every box. That's been the case for many years now, however. The all-new 2023 Honda CR-V changes things up by adding a bit more style and character, particularly in terms of its interior design and how surprisingly enjoyable the Sport and Sport Touring hybrid trim levels are to drive.