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Volvo begins rolling out over-the-air software updates in the U.S.

Volvo announced that two of its models are now compatible with over-the-air software updates. The electric XC40 Recharge and three versions of the XC60 are eligible to receive a variety of wireless changes including driving range improvements and small bug fixes. The Swedish firm published details about its over-the-air software updating system shortly after going public. It's compatible with the new Android-based infotainment system found in many of its cars, including the C40 Recharge unveiled in 2021, and it works a lot like the similar technology that your smartphone features in the sense that the software updates itself; there's no need to stop by a dealer or plug in a USB drive. When an update is ready, a message appears on the dashboard-mounted touchscreen asking motorists if they want to download it. Owners of compatible cars in the United States received their first over-the-air software update last week. Labeled version 1.7, it notably added SiriusXM satellite radio compatibility. Volvo also noted that the XC40 Recharge received additional driving range during the update. Looking ahead, Volvo plans to wirelessly add new features and enhancements to the infotainment system. Only some 2021 and 2022 models can receive over-the-air updates. As of writing, the list of compatible cars is limited to the aforementioned XC40 Recharge, the XC60, the XC60 Recharge, and the XC60 Polestar Engineered. It's reasonable to assume that the feature will spread across the range in the coming years as new models are launched. Sister company Polestar also offers over-the-air updates on the 2. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Celebrate Volvo's 89th birthday with some neat facts

Volvo, arguably Sweden's best-known non-ABBA export, will celebrate the big 9-0 next year. The company has always operated somewhat under the radar, but it has its share of stories to tell despite an image formed by decades of solid, safe, and sensible cars. To celebrate the occasion, here are five lesser-known facts about Sweden's last remaining car brand. 1. It opened North America's first foreign car plant. Idyllic Halifax was a small fishing city of about a quarter-million in the early 1960s when Volvo arrived and became the first import brand to build cars en masse in North America. American consumers on the East Coast developed a fondness for the Volvo Amazon line in the late 1950s, leading Volvo to seek out a plant in the Americas. Halifax ponied up incentives, allowing Volvo to take advantage of a pact eliminating tariffs on cars built and exported between the United States and Canada. Volvo built cars there until the end of 1998, when it said its facility was no longer viable compared to larger factories in Europe. That brings us to The Netherlands, where Volvo bought a quirky, innovative automaker that once sold a car called the Daffodil (which was actually its luxury model). 2. You can thank Volvo for CVTs – even though it doesn't use them. Volvo wasn't interested in picking flowers. It wanted the automotive arm of truck manufacturer DAF, which would include its assembly plant, its Renault engines, and the first mainstream application of the CVT gearbox. Volvo acquired DAF's car business over the course of a few years in the early 1970s and, in typical Volvo safety-oriented style, it slapped big bumpers and head restraints on the little DAF 66 and rebadged it as the Volvo 66. The Dutch assembly plant would grow to include a partnership with Mitsubishi in the early '90s. Today, it operates as NedCar and builds Mini Coopers for BMW. Volvo is no longer involved in NedCar or DAF (which sold its CVT division to Bosch, by the way), but its acquisition of DAF helped ensure the success of CVTs. Ironically, even though Volvo's investment helped make CVTs mainstream, the Swedish automaker's affair with them was brief, and today it utilizes only conventional automatics. 3. The Swedish carmakers were pals. Over its 89 years, Volvo has been closely connected to a number of automakers – most notably Ford, which ran the company for a decade, and its current owner Geely. But Volvo is most closely linked to its longtime competitor, Saab.

Current Volvo XC90 to live on in China?

The current, long-serving Volvo XC90 might not be going away as soon as we thought - at least not in China. According to word from CarNewsChina, the crossover's production will be moved to Daqing, China, in December and from that point on, be built at Geely's factory. The only available engine will be a 2.5-liter turbocharged five-cylinder.
According to the report, the present XC90 and the imminent next-generation model will both be sold in the market, but the Chinese-made vehicle will be positioned as a cheaper alternative. Geely will also develop a crossover of its own from the platform that should be ready in late 2015.
Volvo plans to launch the new XC90 later this year to replace the aging model, which has been on the market for over a decade. It will ride on the company's new Scaleable Product Architecture platform and will be powered by the automaker's new Drive-E four-cylinder engine family. Hybrid versions will also be available.