1998 Volvo V70 X/c Awd Wagon 4-door 2.4l on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Volvo working on ultra-lux four-seat XC90 for China?

In China, it's all about being driven. That's why we've seen so many automakers stretch their most popular models to appeal to buyers in the Chinese market. Volvo is certainly no stranger to this, and according to Autocar, the company is already working on a super-lux, four-seat version of its recently launched XC90 crossover.
Volvo won't stretch the XC90 and just increase second-row legroom, however. Instead, the company will reportedly remove both the standard XC90's second and third row benches, and install a duplicate set of front seats in the rear compartment, featuring the same electric adjustment features, including massage. These more luxurious thrones will be placed further back in the vehicle, allowing for "exceptional" legroom, Autocar reports, without needing to stretch the wheelbase.
Mum's the word on when we can expect to see the high-zoot Volvo arrive, though the magazine estimates that it surface later this year.

Volvo might join the tide of automakers turning to hybrids and PHEVs

Volvo had been the clearest and most direct of all automakers about switching to a purely electric lineup.  Less than a year after getting the XC40 Recharge to market, on March 2, 2021, the company wrote that it "intends to only sell fully electric cars and phase out any car in its global portfolio with an internal combustion engine, including hybrids." Two years later, with the C40 on dealer lots and the EX90 and EX30 in the pipeline, CFO Bjorn Annwall removed the wiggle room of "intends" by pledging Volvo won't "sell a single car" that isn't purely electric after after 2030, emphasizing the target to Automotive News with, "There's no ifs, no buts." Problem is, there are always ifs and buts, and Volvo might be the next automaker needing a tactical retreat to deal with them. After speaking to members of Volvo's U.S. dealer body, Automotive News reports a softening of the 2030 target. The most Volvo has said publicly came from CEO Jim Rowan, who told analysts during a recent investor webcast that because the EV transformation is going to take time to scale, hybrid powertrains could "form a solid bridge for our customers that are not ready to move to full electrification." According to AN, an anonymous insider said plug-in hybrids could take the lead for the next 10 years as global governments and global markets align on electric vehicles. If this turns out to be the case, Volvo would join a strengthening trend as automakers rush to develop hybrids and PHEVs to launch in the next three years.   Volvo would also be well positioned for the turn, considering buyer sentiment to the hybrids and PHEVs it's sold for many years now. The SPA1 platform supporting every Volvo with an internal combustion engine remains sound. Given development dollars and improvements in battery technology, there's no reason Volvo couldn't ride an evolution of the architecture into the next decade, and it can also take advantage of platforms and toolkits from parent company Geely. Only a year ago, Geely and Renault agreed on a joint venture to invest 7 billion euros for researching new technologies to make non-hybrid and hybrid gas engines more efficient.  This is clearly what U.S. dealers want based on their comments to AN, one retailer going so far as to say, "We will have to [stick with hybrids], or we will die."  Short term, Volvo's enduring the same pain felt by other automakers.

Ex-Volvo boss Stefan Jacoby to head GM's international operations

He was too talented not to surface somewhere, we just didn't know where and when. Nine months ago, Stefan Jacoby stepped down from his post as Volvo CEO, a move that caught many off guard. At the time, the separation was called "amicable," but word is that the strong-willed executive clashed with owners Geely and the automaker's board.
Jacoby will have a new set of challenges on his hands, as he has just been named Executive Vice President Consolidated International Operations for General Motors. That means the Hannover-born Jacoby will head up the company's operations in Asia, Africa, Europe and the Middle East, where he will be responsible for over 100 countries and territories. Jacoby succeeds Tim Lee, who has been named chairman of GM China. Lee will also retain his post as Executive Vice President Global Manufacturing.
Jacoby's dealings with Geely should help him in his Asian market duties, but he also counts time as the head of Volkswagen of China on his resume, so he's very well-versed in the market's peculiarities.