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Volvo EX30 electric crossover coming to lure younger buyers

Volvo's long-rumored entry-level electric crossover is taking shape. Positioned below the XC40 and likely called EX30, the city-friendly model will make its debut this summer, and it should play a significant role in bringing younger buyers into the firm's showrooms. While specific details remain under wraps, Volvo boss Jim Rowan pledged that the EX30 will be "very safe" and offer a "decent range" as well as a "good size." Downsizing in terms of price and size will help the Swedish company reach a wider audience. "The age demographic that we have at Volvo is a lot older than we would like; we'd like to get some more younger people into the brand," the CEO told CarSales. Letting customers buy the EX30 online will help lure younger drivers, according to Volvo's research. However, it's not forgetting about older motorists: It expects that older drivers who want a smaller car and don't regularly drive long distances will be interested in the EX30 as well. As we previously reported, the EX30 will share its Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA) platform with the Smart #1. The connection isn't as random as it might seem: China-based Geely owns Volvo and runs Smart via a joint-venture with Mercedes-Benz. Rear-wheel drive will come standard, and buyers will have several battery sizes to choose from, though it sounds like none will be massive. Rowan expects that driving range will become less of a concern for electric-car drivers as the charging infrastructure improves in the coming years. The Volvo EX30 is scheduled to make its debut in June 2023 and go on sale shortly after. Production will take place in China, and there's no word yet on whether we'll see the EV in the United States. As it stands, the next new Volvo to reach showrooms is the range-topping EX90. Rumors suggest that an electric minivan is around the corner as well, but Volvo hasn't commented on the report or confirmed the model. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Volvo Trucks makes some pretty strong brakes

Often dashcam footage from Russia shows some of the worst driving imaginable, but this is an exception. The Volvo truck driver in this video definitely earned himself a drink or two at the end of the day after making it through this potentially horrific crash. As do the folks at Volvo that engineered those brakes.
The truck driver shows some fantastic reaction time as the silver hatchback suddenly pulls out of an intersection. It looks like he only has a few yards to bring the behemoth to a stop before demolishing the little car. While it's an impressive feat, the best part of the video has to be the driver's bow when he gets out of the truck. He looks like a maestro who just finished conducting a symphony asking for a round of applause.
Scroll down to check out this truck driver's skills and see if he earns his bow afterward.

Volvo aiming for a stock IPO by the end of 2021

Volvo Cars is "making good progress" toward a potential initial public offering by the end of this year, the chief executive of the Swedish premium auto brand told Reuters on Wednesday. "We are looking at the possibility of doing an IPO before the end of the year," listing shares on the Nasdaq Stockholm exchange, company CEO Hakan Samuelsson said in an interview. Samuelsson and other Volvo executives on Wednesday laid out an extensive road map to becoming a fully electric car maker by 2030, including plans to sell 600,000 battery electric vehicles at mid-decade and build a European battery gigafactory in 2026. Volvo earlier this year scrapped a proposed merger with the company's Chinese parent, Hong Kong-listed Geely Automobile. In March, Geely said Volvo would explore capital market options, including an initial public offering and stock market listing. Many startups have gone public in the United States and China over the past two years, following electric vehicle market leader Tesla Inc in taking advantage of investor enthusiasm to raise cheap capital to compete with established brands such as Volvo. Samuelsson said Volvo and Geely will continue to share vehicle architectures, internal combustion powertrains and other components. But the companies will do so at "an arm's length distance," consistent with the way independent companies do business, he said. During Wednesday's briefing, Volvo also said it plans to equip many of its future vehicles with self-driving technology, including standard lidar sensors from Luminar Technologies Inc and computers from Nvidia Corp. "Our goal is to build the safest cars possible, using all available technology," Samuelsson said. As it launches new electric vehicles, Volvo also plans a slew of related products, including insurance and vehicle subscription payment plans offered directly by the automaker, Samuelsson said. "The whole vehicle business will be recurring revenue," Samuelsson said. In Europe, the company plans to change its retail operations so that customers order new electric vehicles directly from the manufacturer, with dealers paid commissions to deliver them, Samuelsson said. In the United States, where laws protect existing dealers, Volvo will still sell vehicles through franchised retailers. For its future electric vehicles, Volvo is working with Swedish partner Northvolt on a new generation of batteries with higher energy and designed to be packaged as a structural element of the vehicle.