2004 Volvo Xc70 Base Wagon 4-door 2.5l on 2040-cars

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2023 Volvo S60 and V60 get small updates

The Volvo S60 sedan and V60 wagon have been updated for the 2023 model year, their mid-life refresh. We don't know the specifics of how our U.S.-market models will be updated, a Volvo spokesperson telling Car and Driver that information comes this spring. We can look to Europe for the broad strokes, however, and it appears we won't have to look too long nor too hard. The S60 sedan hasn't changed in front, whereas the V60 gets a revised lower front fascia with slightly wider intakes accented by blades of chrome garnish, and a center intake that's a wee bit taller than on the current model. In back, both cars hide their tailpipes. There will be at least one new wheel option as well, six-spoke jobs cribbing from the aero rims designed for the XC40 Recharge. And that's all we have to say about that.  Inside, Google's Android Automotive infotainment software continues its propagation throughout the Volvo lineup, bringing the same functionality to the 9-inch display that we've sampled in a few other Swedish offerings so far.   We only get the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine in the United States, aided by 48-volt mild-hybrid (an update for 2022) or plug-in-hybrid electrical assistance depending on trim for the S60, while the V60 wagon — not the lifted V60 Cross Country — is only sold as the Recharge Polestar Engineered in the United States. Don't expect any deviations on the ICE side, but the PHEV trims benefit from a larger battery and more powerful motor.  In Europe, the B3 and B4 trims will enjoy a new seven-speed dual-clutch. We don't expect that gearbox to be headed our way. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. What makes the Volvo V60 Cross Country a Cross Country | Autoblog

Lotus' new position: Much improved, if Volvo's experience is a guide

Out today is the news that Geely Holding will acquire controlling interest in British sports car maker Lotus Cars. While some 20 years ago the Chinese acquisition of a British automaker might have inspired grumbling from aggrieved Brits (and the handful of Lotus enthusiasts), the world has moved on. And so – thankfully – can Lotus. To suggest Lotus' business history has been checkered is to broaden the definition of "checkered." With its beginnings in the early '50s as a maker of component cars for competition, Lotus founder Colin Chapman – in a manner not unlike his postwar contemporary, Enzo Ferrari – was always hustling, living a hand-to-mouth existence in the production of road cars to support a racing program. Regrettably, Chapman never found a Fiat, as Ferrari did toward the end of the 1960s. Lotus had Ford in its corner for racing and as a resource for powertrains, and later benefited from the corporate support of both GM and Toyota for relatively short periods. Lotus Cars, however, never enjoyed the corporate buy-in that would have allowed Chapman to race and let someone else build the cars. Regardless of what Consumer Reports or Kelley Blue Book might have thought (if they had ...) about those early Lotus cars, a great many are now regarded as classics. My first knowledge of a production Lotus was when Tom McCahill, the 'dean' of automotive journalists in the US, tested an early Elan for Mechanix Illustrated. While we're still not sure, some 50 years later, how McCahill's XXL frame fit into the tiny roadster, he had nothing but praise for the Elan's athletic chassis and now-timeless design. In today's Lotus portfolio, the Elise and Exige continue that light, athletic tradition, while the larger Evora seems to strike wide – literally and figuratively – of the "less is more" ideal. With the Toyota-powered Evora, more is more. But in an eco-sensitive era demanding more of the original Chapman mantra – add lightness – there's little reason that Lotus can't regain relevance if given the financial resources. Geely's acquisition of Volvo, the fruits of which appear regularly not only in the news but on the streets, suggests the Chinese investment will provide strategic vision (along with money) while allowing Lotus talent to do what it does best: Create an exciting product. And while at various periods in its history the product has been worthy, Lotus in the US has been ill-served by a flailing dealer network.

Volvo to complete concept car trilogy in Geneva

Volvo went through some doldrums around the same time it was bought by Geely, but it proved that it was back when it unveiled the P1800-inpsired Concept Coupe last August at the Frankfurt Motor Show. It followed up with the sleek Concept XC Coupe crossover (pictured above) in Detroit that echoed the next-generation XC90. Now, the Swede is readying one more concept to bring the trilogy to an end, and act as the centerpiece of its display at the Geneva Motor Show in March.
There are no images of the new concept yet, not even a teaser, but Volvo says that like the other two, it's designed by Thomas Ingenlath and shares common design elements. Since it has already imagined a future coupe and crossover, maybe the concept is a sedan. Volvo has confirmed that it rides on the modular Scalable Product Architecture platform that is being used on multiple future production models and uses its new Drive-E four-cylinder engine family.
The Concept Coupe and Concept XC Coupe will be on display with the new concept in Geneva so that visitors can get a complete idea of Volvo's future. Hopefully, the company has finally righted the course and is ready to compete on the world stage again. Scroll down to read Volvo's few details about the new concept.