2023 Volvo Xc90 B5 Plus on 2040-cars

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2nd annual Automobile Advertising of the Year Awards revealed

There was some absolutely fantastic auto advertising in 2014, ranging from funny to inspiring. Marking the best of it from the past year, the Second Annual One Show Automobile Advertising of the Year Awards were announced during the 2015 Detroit Auto Show (full disclosure: Autoblog was among the award's sponsors, and Editor-in-Chief Sharon Carty was a voter). Unlike previously, there were no brands with dominance over the list this time. Presented by The One Club, the awards have an international scope and hand out honors in a variety of categories. In the Broadcast TV group, there were three winners this year. First, there was The Scripted Life from Audi for the Q3 about breaking out of life's monotony. Also, Dad's Sixth Sense from Hyundai marketed the safety features in the Genesis. Finally, Unbreakable Drivers showed manly men being tested for the Toyota Hilux in Australia. The Online Video prize went to the fantastic The Epic Split spot from Volvo Trucks starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. The best Interactive ad was the Honda video titled The Other Side for the Civic Type R, and the Experiential Advertising nod was for the Volkswagen Eyes on the Road clip that showed the dangers of texting and driving to a theater full of moviegoers in Hong Kong. Finally, the Public Choice Award went to the BMW commercial called Hello Future using the words of sci-fi author Arthur C. Clarke for the i8. In the award not for videos, Jeep won the Print/Outdoor category for its Upside Down campaign. Check the ads out below, which show different animals when upside down. Also, look farther down for all of the winning videos and read their full announcements. View 3 Photos Automobile Advertising of the Year Winners Announced New York, NY (January 13, 2015) – The One Club (www.oneclub.org), producers of the prestigious One Show Awards and Creative Week, today announced the winners for the 2nd Annual One Show Automobile Advertising of the Year Awards. In partnership with the North American International Auto Show (www.naias.com) in Detroit, The One Club today unveiled the best automotive ads from around the world in five categories: broadcast TV, online video, interactive, experiential advertising, and print & outdoor. Winners will be presented on-stage at a special event during the NAIAS Press Preview on Tuesday, January 13, 2015, at the Cobo Center in Detroit at 4:55 p.m. The event is sponsored by AOL's Autoblog.

2022 Volvo XC60 Recharge First Drive Review | Pumping up the electric range

PALM SPRINGS, Calif — It may not look like it on the outside, but the 2022 Volvo XC60 Recharge is a substantially updated plug-in hybrid SUV. In fact, the entire XC60 line is refreshed for the 2022 model year, but weÂ’re going to zero in on the Recharge PHEV.  Volvo let us spend a day behind the wheel of the newly-announced “extended range” Recharge model in sunny California, and we came away with far more feelings than expected from this Swedish crossover. Just so everybody is on the same page, the “extended range” Recharge represents a mid-model-year refresh of the XC60 Recharge. There were 2022 model year XC60 Recharge models sold prior to today that featured the same electric hardware as prior model years, and therefore featured the old EPA-estimated electric range of 19 miles on a full charge. The “extended range” model that we drove bumps that all the way up to 36 miles, nearly doubling the previous range. Volvo says that these new “extended range” models are the ones shipping to dealers now, not the older model. This is definitely something to be aware of in later years should you find a used 2022 XC60. So, how has Volvo found this much extra range? The big difference is in the battery pack, going from an 11.6-kilowatt-hour pack to an 18.8-kWh pack. Volvo managed to package a third layer of cells into the pack that it didnÂ’t have before, and it did so in the same space as before — it continues to run along the carÂ’s spine in the center tunnel area. Volvo claims that this more energy-dense battery pack will take 5-8 hours to charge when hooked up to a 240V power source, so you should easily get a full charge by leaving it plugged in overnight, assuming you have the applicable charging hardware.  This new battery pack is paired with a totally revamped powertrain setup. The layout is the same as before. That means there is an electric motor positioned on the rear axle that drives the rear wheels and a gasoline engine in front that exclusively powers the front wheels, thereby giving the XC60 Recharge all-wheel drive. To our delight, both the electric motor and the gasoline engine are new this year. The new rear electric motor represents a big power boost, with 143 horsepower greatly surpassing the old motorÂ’s 87 horsepower. Ultimately, this means that the XC60 Recharge is now significantly more enjoyable to drive in its purely electric mode (aptly named “Pure”).

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.