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Tesla poaches Volvo interior engineering boss Anders Bell

Tesla is the belle of both the eco-friendly and luxury balls. The company's Model S and Model X are status symbols, and benchmarks for the ability to blend both green credentials with performance and a luxury driving experience. That said, their cabins aren't necessarily deserving of those credentials. That's why this little news nugget is such a big deal for the California brand. Electrek reports that Tesla has poached Anders Bell from Volvo. Bell confirmed the move via his LinkedIn page. The (now former) head of interior engineering and senior director of engineering was responsible for the Swedish brand's raft of high-quality, beautifully crafted cabins. Doubtless Tesla wants a piece of the critical acclaim Volvo's received for the interior design and quality on its 90-series models – XC90, S90, and V90. The move is, at least based on Electrek's stalking of Bell's LinkedIn profile, a big loss for Volvo. Bell joined the Swedish brand fresh out of Halmstad College's engineering program in 1998 and has spent his entire career working for Gothenburg and its various owners. That included a nearly four-year stint in China after Geely bought Volvo from Ford, assisting with the Chinese launch of the XC60. Bell's listed his final project with his previous employer as "development, design, and release of Volvo interiors to be launched 2017-2018 and concept definitions of interiors 2019 and beyond." That means that while Bell started at Palo Alto this month, his impact at Volvo won't fade for several more years. Related Video: News Source: Electrek via Jalopnik Green Hirings/Firings/Layoffs Tesla Volvo volvo s90

Leno shows off his current project cars

When your car collection grows to the enormous size of Jay Leno's, adding the usual muscle cars or European exotics loses the allure. It becomes necessary to start taking the things in weird directions. Leno is proving just that with his latest tour of many of the ongoing projects currently happening in the garage. With everything from Harley-Davidson generators to '50s hot rods on display just in this short video, there's something any fan can love. The place is like an automotive wonderland. For most people any one of these projects would be an absolute dream. For example, Leno has a copy of a one-off Mercedes-Benz racecar transporter that is nearly ready to drive. Another project hasn't even started yet but already seriously piqued our interest. Leno obtained a very ratty 1966 Volvo 122S wagon, but rather than just a restoration he's has a plan to get a V8 with a flat-plane crank from Volvo performance specialists Polestar. Another project on the way should provide a significant upgrade in performance, while still being quite green. Leno's team has already rebuilt the frame and wooden body from a 1914 Detroit Electric, and with that work done they've started dreaming of a modern drivetrain for it. One proposed candidate for the swap has been to install motor from a Nissan Leaf and a bank of lithium-ion batteries. News Source: Jay Leno's Garage via YouTube Aftermarket Celebrities Mercedes-Benz Volvo Electric Performance Classics Videos Jay Lenos Garage detroit electric

Volvo celebrates 20 years of sleeper wagons with 850 T-5R and V60 Polestar

I must have been around Bar Mitzvah age when I was in the back of my parents' car on the highway as we passed a truck full of Volvo 850 T-5R wagons - half of them in black, half in banana yellow. It was one of the coolest things I'd ever seen: a whole gaggle of sleeper power wagons that were infinitely cooler than whatever minivan we were riding in. Hard to believe that was 20 years ago, but it was. And Polestar is understandably keen to mark the anniversary of the first overt Volvo performance wagon.
While Volvo's racing partner hasn't released some commemorative edition to celebrate that prototypical sleeper, it has shot a special batch of photos of the T-5R (based on the 850 wagon internally known as the 855 for its five doors) alongside its modern successor, the V60 Polestar. The images shot in Huntington Beach, CA, only go to show how much has changed in the two decades that separate them.
Whereas this front-drive T-5R packed a turbocharged inline-five driving 240 horsepower through a four-speed automatic propel the yellow box to 62 in 7.0 seconds, the turbo six in the svelter, Rebel Blue-clad 2015 V60 Polestar churns out 350 hp to all four wheels through a six-speed auto for a 4.9-second sprint. That's the kind of progress we can get behind. In fact, it's the sort of progress that everyone can get behind, really, because chances are whatever you're driving will probably have a hard time keeping up.