2000 Volvo V70 Se Wagon on 2040-cars

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China's Geely buying majority stake in Lotus

Geely, the Hong Kong car company that owns Volvo, is acquiring control of British car company Lotus. Geely is purchasing a 51-percent stake in Lotus from struggling Malaysian car company Proton, and a 49.9 percent stake in Proton itself. Etika Automotive will gain the other 49 percent of Lotus. France's PSA Group and Japan's Suzuki had apparently also been interested in acquiring Proton. Geely says it plans to revive both Proton and Lotus. "The agreement lays the foundation for a wider framework for both Geely Holding, Proton and Lotus to explore joint synergies in areas such as research and development, manufacturing and market presence," Geely said in a news release. Those joint synergies will be highlighted by the lightweight chassis technology Lotus is known for, which could help Geely improve fuel efficiency. Geely CFO Daniel Donghui Li said the company aims to "unleash the full potential of Lotus Cars" by expanding and accelerating new products and technologies. Proton was nationally held but was privatized in 2007 to Malaysian conglomerate DRB-Hicom, which is owned by tycoon Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary. It was supposed to be the flagship for Malaysia's economic development.Though it owns two factories, Proton mainly rebadges foreign-made cars and sells them in Malaysia. What it has, what Geely presumably wants, is a distribution network in Southeast Asia to pit Chinese cars against Japanese automotive dominance in the region. Retaining a 50.1-percent stake in Proton is seen as a face-saving move. "Proton will always remain a national car and a source of pride, as Proton will still have a majority hold of 50.1 percent," Malaysian finance official Johari Abdul Ghani said. "Our very own much-loved brand now has a real chance in making a comeback, a huge one I hope." Related Video:

Junkyard Gem: 1987 Volvo 760 GLE Sedan

When Volvo finally created a replacement for the iconic 200 Series (which first appeared here as 1975 models but were virtually identical to their 140 predecessors from the A pillar back), that car was the 700 Series. As it turned out, the 240 was so beloved that it ended up outlasting its supposed successor in the showrooms, but the 740, 760 and 780 earned respectable sales worldwide. The first of the 700s to arrive in the United States were 760 sedans and wagons, with sales beginning in the 1983 model year and the cheaper 740 showing up for 1984. We saw a 760 Turbo sedan in a Colorado car graveyard last year, and now here's a naturally-aspirated 760 sedan in a Northern California yard. The middle digit in Volvo model names represented the number of engine cylinders in earlier years, so you knew a 164 would have a straight-six under its hood, while a 264 boasted a V6. That rule got bent with the 700, so the 740 Turbo had a four-cylinder (presumably, turbocharging made up for the missing two pistons).  In this case, though, there really are six cylinders present. This is a 2.8-liter version of the PRV V6 engine, which was developed jointly by Peugeot, Renault and Volvo and used to power an incredible variety of European vehicles plus a handful from Detroit. PRVs went into the DeLorean DMC-12, the Volvo 262C Bertone Coupe, the Alpine A310, the Citroen XM and the Eagle Premier/Dodge Monaco. Because the PRV design began as a V8 (that, sadly, never went into production), it has a V8-style 90° cylinder-bank angle. This one was rated at 145 horsepower and 173 pound-feet. There was a version of the 760 available with a straight-six engine as well: the 760 Turbodiesel, which used a Volkswagen-sourced 2.4-liter oil-burner making 106 horsepower and 140 pound-feet. 1986 was the last model year for that car in the United States. There was no manual transmission available in the 760 by 1987, so this car has the four-speed automatic. The MSRP for this car was $28,290, or about $78,304 in 2023 dollars. You got a sunroof at no extra cost. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Perfect for off-roading! This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Who needs rebates? This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. The wagon version held eight very large dogs.

2023 Volvos get mild-hybrid engines, XC40 and S60 see styling tweaks

For 2023, Volvo's entire lineup will now feature both mild-hybrid assist engines and Google Android-based infotainment. Additionally, a couple of models are getting some styling updates. As for powertrains, the XC90, XC40 and V60 Cross Country are finally getting base engines with Volvo's 48-volt hybrid assist. This means that every Volvo on sale will have some level of electrification as standard, and of course plug-in hybrid and full-electric versions of some of its models continue to be offered. The Google Android-based infotainment system's availability is also expanding to the gas-powered XC40 models as well as the S60 and V60 models. As with electrification, this update means every Volvo has the same kind of infotainment. The perks of the new infotainment system include the ability to run apps and features such as Google Maps and Voice Assistant natively in the infotainment system, instead of needing to use a phone. It also enables over-the-air updates so that older models can still have the latest functions. Rounding out the updates are some styling changes for certain models. The S60 and V60 models get new grilles and rear bumper inserts. The XC40 features new headlights, front bumpers and grilles. New colors and wheels are on offer for all models, and Volvo has dropped trim level designations for all cars. The updated Volvo models are going into production with availability this summer. Pricing has not been announced yet. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.