2005 Volvo Xc90 V8 Below Wholesale Non Smoker No Paint on 2040-cars

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Macron hosts BMW and Volvo execs as they consider moving operations to the U.S.

PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday will host a dinner with a number of European chief executives to convince them not to move production to the United States, where lower energy prices and the Inflation Reduction Act is proving a lure. European leaders have been alarmed by massive anti-inflation measures passed by Joe Biden's administration, which make tax breaks conditional on U.S-manufactured content and which EU industries say make investment in Europe less competitive. "We're having difficulties with companies which are starting to consider offshoring their production or making future investment outside Europe," a French official said, listing high energy costs and the U.S. legislation as reasons. At the Elysee palace, Macron will seek to convince executives from companies including chemical groups Solvay and Air Liquide, carmakers Volvo and BMW, pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca and telecom groups Ericsson and Orange to stay in Europe and choose France for their future investments. Macron, who has called on the European Union to launch its own 'European Buy Act' to subsidise European production, has encountered resistance from the more anti-protectionist members of the bloc. It was unclear what Macron would tell the executives to convince them not to move to the U.S. But France has unveiled a number of measures over the weekend to cushion the impact of high energy bills for French companies. European companies have been increasingly strident about the impact of soaring energy prices since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which has pushed up gas and electricity prices. Eric Trappier, CEO of Dassault Aviation, who heads the French federation of metals industries, warned in the Les Echos newspaper over the weekend that Europe should protect its own industry more aggressively or see it move to other shores. Related video: Government/Legal Green Plants/Manufacturing BMW Volvo

Volvo unveils all-new user interface destined for next-gen XC90 [w/video]

Take a close look at the cabin of the Volvo Concept Estate shown above. One of the big features on the fancy, brown shooting brake is an all-new user interface called, well, it doesn't really have a name, at least not one Volvo is revealing.
The refreshingly nameless system looks seriously impressive based on the short video that accompany's the system's press release. The jewel of the whole interface is a sizable touchscreen that manages most every in-car function save for a few vital functions like volume, hazard lights and other systems that still demand a more tactile interface.
"The basic idea is to organize controls and information in a perfectly intuitive and user- friendly way. Everything is exactly where you expect it to be, making the drive more enjoyable, efficient, and safe," Thomas Ingenlath, Volvo's Senior Vice President of Design, said in a statement.

Euro-market Volvo C40 Recharge and XC40 Recharge add efficiency, range

Volvo's tweaked the powertrain specs for the C40 Recharge and XC40 Recharge in Europe in both front- and all-wheel-drive trims. (We don't get the FWD versions here, only the AWD models.) First reported by CarsUK as a rumor, Autocar dug into the details after the new models hit some EU configurators. The big change there is that the front-drivers are now rear-drivers, engineers moving the single motor to the rear axle in the name of efficiency. The battery in the single-motor cars stays the same size at 67 kWh, but motor output rises from 228 horsepower to 235 hp. Even better, the C40 Recharge goes from an estimated 270 miles on a charge to 296 miles, the XC40 Recharge goes from an estimated 260 miles on a charge to 286 miles on the WLTP cycle. The AWD Recharge Twin trims get a larger battery, swapping the 78-kWh unit (75 kWh usable) for a 82-kWh unit (78 kWh usable). Their motors put out the same combined 402 hp as before, but do so with a rear bias. Instead of each motor making 201 hp, the front motor makes 161 hp, the rear 241 hp. Their ranges climb even more, the C40 gaining 37 miles of range to go an estimated 315 miles on a charge, the XC40 adding 42 miles to go an estimated 311 miles on the WLTP cycle. Volvo also upped the fast charging capability for the Recharge from 150 kW to 200 kW. The upgrade cuts the charge time from 10% to 80% by 10 minutes, to 27 minutes, matching the time required for the single-motor trims with the smaller battery to refill the same amount. The revised models can be ordered in Europe now but won't go into production until next year, the Recharge versions in May, the single-motor versions in autumn. Prices are up about 10%. It's thought the Polestar 2 will be in line for the same changes. We asked Volvo USA about the revisions coming to the U.S., aand  spokesperson responded, "We will have more details to share on the U.S. offer at a later date."