2001 Volvo S80 2.9 on 2040-cars

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Volvo EX30 Deep Dive: Designing a budget SUV

We just spent a couple days with, in and around Volvo’s latest all-new electric vehicle, the EX30, at the companyÂ’s headquarters in Gothenburg, Sweden, and we came away impressed. We went in with questions, and came out with answers, or so we think, though some of them will remain until we drive it in November. A number of automakers are promising truly affordable EVs, ones that not only undercut the current, $4,600 price differential between new battery-powered cars and their internal combustion powered siblings, but ones that are significantly lower than the general average new car transaction price, which is currently nearly $50,000. Mass market EVs like this are important, if we are to make a real environmental impact with our switch to battery power, as there is little that is green about the resource-hoarding production and utilization of niche, six-figure, five-ton electric pickups and SUVs. Volvo aims to be first to market with such a car, with the compact EX30, which it plans to sell starting at $35,000. This is a new category offering for the brand, one that slots in well below the current XC40 Recharge EV in terms of price and size. For contrast, that car starts at around $50,000, and is 8 inches longer, 4 inches higher and nearly 3 inches wider. Volvo EX30 View 22 Photos This seems like a strange move for a company whose mission, since being purchased by the Chinese manufacturing company Geely, has been to move upscale into the same consideration set as the luxury German brands. But, as is often the case, Volvo is taking its own path. “This is indeed a lower segment for us,” says Joakim Hermansson, the vehicle product lead for EX30, as he walks us around the car, inside and out, and allows us to sample the sharp accelerative abilities of the range-topping, 442 hp, dual-motor, all-wheel-drive model (0-60 in 3.4 seconds.) “But itÂ’s still premium for Volvo, providing hallmark features of safety, sustainability and personalization, as well as performance.” He's not wrong about any of these. This EX30 comes standard with VolvoÂ’s extra-strength safety cage as well as lane-keeping, adaptive cruise control and blind spot monitoring. Perhaps most notably, it has an all-new interior design that capitalizes on the efforts the brand has been making toward its internal goal of being fully circular in its sustainability efforts by 2040.

Volvo V60 Polestar is one hot hauler

Earlier this year, Polestar jumped from the racetrack to the showroom with its own take on the Volvo S60 sedan. And given the similarity and the proud history of hot Volvo wagons, not to mention the spy shots and teasers, we knew it would only be a matter of time before Volvo's racing partner would return with a similar take on the V60. And that's just what it's done.
Powering the new Volvo V60 Polestar is the same 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six as the sedan, driving 350 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque to all four wheels through a six-speed automatic transmission and Haldex all-wheel-drive system. Hitting 62 miles per hour reportedly happens in the same 4.9 seconds as the sedan, on its way to a stop speed of 155 mph.
The power upgrades come courtesy of a twin-scroll Borg Warner turbocharger, intercooler and overhauled exhaust system. Other upgrades over Volvo's own R-Design model include stiffer springs, Öhlins shocks, 20-inch wheels, Brembo brakes and a full aero kit, not to mention an upgraded cabin from which to command the performance.

First production Volvo P1800 stolen

Want further proof that car thieves are the scum of the Earth? Some crooks in Sweden made off with a prized Volvo - the very first production P1800. The P1800, a two-door coupe, is a classic that's been growing in popularity over the years, thanks in no small part to its gorgeous sheetmetal.
This particular example, wearing chassis number two, wears red paint with a white interior. It was swiped from a locked storage facility in Stockholm, according to Hemmings, between August 21 and 22. The P1800 was owned by Mats Eriksson, vice president of the Swedish P1800 Club, who had given it a thorough restoration. Features to look out for on this particular car include the unique wheel covers shown in the gallery, and two different registration plates - C28000 and ACZ 780.
Larmtjänst AB, a non-profit that fights vehicle crimes in Sweden, is accepting any and all information pertaining from the theft. If you, or anyone you know, was in Stockholm on the night of the days of the theft or has seen a red P1800 in the Scandinavian region, head over to the Larmtjänst AB website to submit a tip.