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Tony Nicolosi confirmed as Volvo's North American CEO

This past October, John Maloney stepped down from his post as CEO at Volvo Cars North America. In his place, the Swedish automaker tentatively promoted Tony Nicolosi, who had until then served as head of Volvo Car Financial Services. The appointment was reportedly temporary, giving Nicolosi the title of acting CEO. But according to Automotive News, his position has now been confirmed for the long run.
Although Volvo has yet to announce a new director for its financial arm, Nicolosi says they have found the right person and will announce sometime between now and the National Automobile Dealers Association convention, set to take place later this month in New Orleans.
Last month, Volvo also announced that its global communications chief Bodil Eriksson is moving from the home office in Gothenburg to the North American office in Rockleigh, New Jersey. Anders Kärrberg has been promoted from the government affairs post to take Eriksson's place.

Volvo debuts new Drive-E four-cylinder engines

Volvo is introducing a new engine family based on its new Drive-E philosophy, which encompasses "all innovations made to reduce the impact on the environment," the automaker says. Less cylinders allows for less environmental impact, so the new engines are all four-pots. They also were designed to pair easily with Volvo's upcoming hybrid drive system, which "will reach power figures in the V8 territory" and play a "dominant part of the top end of [Volvo's] range," says Derek Crabb, Vice President Powertrain Engineering. Volvo also says we can expect "power curves that give exciting drivability compared with engines with more cylinders."
Volvo says some versions of the engine were designed targeting best-in-class fuel economy. There are both gasoline and diesel options, but the latter of which isn't scheduled for US consumption. Instead, the US will be offered two states of tune of the gasoline Drive-E engine for front-wheel-drive vehicles. Some of Volvo's current all-wheel-drive powertrains will remain available in the US until the company has transitioned solely to the new, fuel-efficient inline-fours.

Can we keep the gauge cluster around, please?

Let’s not follow TeslaÂ’s lead in the elimination of the gauge cluster. I might be too late, but IÂ’m going to say it anyway. The cute 2025 Volvo EX30 is to blame for this needing to be said. I genuinely like most things about the EX30 and its cost-oriented approach to a luxury EV. However, Volvo went and deleted the gauge cluster, and thatÂ’s just one cost-saving step too many. Of course, center-mounted instruments is nothing new, but Tesla popularized the idea of removing the cluster entirely years ago with its Model 3 and Model Y. I didnÂ’t like the idea when I first saw it, and my displeasure with driving around a car with no cluster was confirmed when I drove a Model 3 for the first time. There are numerous reasons, but it all boils down to the importance of having vital information in your direct line of sight. The transition to EVs allows for the elimination of certain monitoring gauges within a cluster, but basics like speed, gear position, headlight status, cruise control and range are all things I want directly in front of me. I donÂ’t want to glance down and to the right to see these things. You could make a valid safety argument for such an arrangement, but including all of that info just for the sake of convenience is enough. The only excuse I see for eliminating the cluster is if a comprehensive head-up display impervious to polarized sunglasses comes as standard equipment. ItÂ’d still be bothersome in a gasoline-powered car to lose all those gauges, but I could live with just a HUD in an electric car if it meant a lower cost to the buyer. That said, my favorite integrations are the smaller clusters installed in some EVs like the Ford Mustang Mach-E or Volkswagen ID.4. These little clusters are smaller and simpler than many of the massive instrument screens going into cars these days, but they include all the information you might want at a glance. Beyond the safety and convenience aspect, thereÂ’s a nostalgic angle to the gauge cluster. Just a short while ago, I trumpeted the return of retro designs in digital gauge clusters. You can quite literally do whatever youÂ’d like when youÂ’re working with a screen, which leaves the field of opportunities wide open. We wonÂ’t have the privilege of enjoying old-school (or revolutionary new-school) designs if OEMs start eliminating them entirely.